Three killed in crash on Grand Parkway near CR 603 in Dayton

A three-vehicle crash Wednesday night, April 1, on the Grand Parkway (I-99) near CR 603 claimed three lives and shut down the roadway for several hours.

The crash occurred just before 9 p.m.

According to Sgt. Rob Willoughby, supervisor for the Liberty County office of the Texas Department of Public Safety, a 2016 Ford F-150 was traveling southbound on the Grand Parkway when, for unknown reasons, it crossed into the northbound lanes and struck the back left side of a 2018 Ford F-250.

After the initial impact, the F-150 remained in the southbound lane and collided head-on with a 2011 Lincoln MKT that was traveling northbound behind the pickup.

The driver of the F-150, Juan Jose Hernandez Balderas, 44, of Houston, was pronounced dead at the scene by Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace Larry Wilburn. An autopsy has been ordered. According to Sgt. Willoughby, the vehicle’s speedometer was locked at 90 mph.

The driver of the F-250, a 33-year-old Baytown man named James Monroe Matlock, was not injured. Four children in his vehicle, ages 16, 16, 8 and 7, were also not injured.

The driver of the Lincoln, Kenneth James Burkhalter, 17, of Cleveland, was pronounced dead at the scene and will undergo an autopsy. His mother, April Burkhalter, 39, also of Cleveland, a front-seat passenger in the vehicle, was also pronounced dead. An autopsy was not ordered in her case.

While preliminary reports suggested that one or more of the vehicles caught fire, Willoughby said that was not the case; however, the crash resulted in extensive damage to all three vehicles.

The roadway was closed for approximately four and a half hours as troopers investigated the crash. Trooper Courtland Friend is lead investigator. He was assisted at the scene by Troopers Natalie Aguirre and Brittany Sherman, and Sgt. Willoughby.

The investigation remains ongoing.