Friday, May 17, 2024
The Temple Police Department released the names of two victims who died in a crash involving a trailer carrying a 350,000-pound piece of equipment that fell onto their vehicle.
Abigail Boatwright, 22, and Evan Boatwright, 17, were two passengers from Gatesville who died in the crash that took place on the morning of Saturday, April 27. The driver of the vehicle, whose identity was not released, is in stable condition.
The incident occurred just after 11 a.m. at the intersection of Highway 36 and Highway 317. The load had come off its trailer, pinning the vehicle underneath that contained the three passengers. Temple Fire & Rescue teams said in a social media post that it took just over four hours to safely remove the driver from the car.
It is unknown what the piece of equipment was that fell onto the vehicle, Temple Fire & Rescue said.
KWTX reported on Wednesday that Southern Transport LLC was the name of the company overseeing the transport of the oversized load, according to a Texas Department of Motor Vehicles permit obtained by the station.
It took nearly two days to clear the wreck from Highway 36, which reopened on Monday evening.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Several agencies assisted with the rescue efforts, including the Georgetown Fire Department Special Operations Team, Killeen Fire Department Special Operations Team, Belton Fire Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Department of Transportation, Baylor Scott & White Surgical Staff, and Temple EMS.
