3 killed in wrong-way crash near Corsicana

CORSICANA, Texas - The driver who caused a fatal wrong-way crash in Navarro County could face criminal charges.

The crash happened around 9 p.m. Wednesday on Interstate 45 about 10 miles north of Corsicana.

Investigators said a Ford Explorer headed south in the northbound lanes of the interstate hit a Nissan Rogue head on. That caused a chain reaction crash with three other vehicles.

Three people in the Nissan Rogue died. The driver and passenger in the Ford Explorer were flown to a Dallas hospital with serious injuries. The people in the other vehicles were taken to hospitals in Corsicana.

A Navarro County sheriff's deputy had only a split second to avoid the wrong way driver. On the deputy's left was a concrete divider, on his right was another car boxed in with a construction barrier. The car went by just in time for Corporal William Grigsby to swerve out of the way.

"Passed within a couple of inches of hitting him head on,” said Navarro County Sheriff Elmer Tanner.

Despite the close call, Corporal Grigsby attempted to go after the suspect.

“As soon as he could exit and try to turn around, his vehicle became stuck in the mud. He was not able to pursue. He did see responding officers,” Tanner said.

Authorities were unable to get the reckless driver off the road before he crashed head on into a Nissan Rogue. The deadly crash happened about 20 minutes after the initial call.

“This is horrific, we absolutely want the families to know our thoughts and prayers are going out to them as they are dealing with this tragedy,” Tanner said.

The driver of the Ford Explorer will face charges if he survives. It's not yet clear why he was going the wrong way. The names of the people involved have not yet been released.