A fuel truck plowed through a security fence and into the KVII-TV studio building in downtown Amarillo early Friday, the result of a chain-reaction crash that began when a Dodge Ram 2500 ran a red light at Southeast 11th Avenue and Pierce Street. The pickup driver and two passengers got out and ran from the scene, leaving behind a mangled fence, a shattered window, and a station building with structural damage near one of its corners.
The crash happened around 12:30 a.m. Friday, according to WOAI, when the pickup ran the red light and was struck by a southbound fuel truck traveling on Pierce Street. The truck hit the driver's side of the pickup and pushed it over the curb, sending the truck itself into the station's parking lot. The collision was caught on camera, per the same report.
From there, the truck went through KVII-TV's security fence, with the fence itself going through a window, and struck a steel support beam at the northwest corner of the building. The fuel truck driver was not hurt in the crash, the outlet reported. The pickup driver and both passengers, however, got out and fled on foot rather than staying at the scene.
Pickup Driver Identified After Fleeing
Police later identified the pickup driver, according to the report, and the driver reportedly called his parents about the crash. His parents came to the scene afterward. It remains unclear from available reporting whether any charges have been filed against the driver or the two passengers who ran.
That question carries real legal weight. Under Texas Transportation Code Section 550.022, fleeing the scene of a crash involving at least $200 in property damage without stopping to provide information is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in county jail and a $2,000 fine, according to Underwood Law Office. If a hit-and-run results in bodily injury or a driver fails to stop and render aid, the offense escalates to a third-degree felony carrying two to 10 years in state prison and up to a $10,000 fine, per the Law Office of Michael T. Gibson, which cites the same statute. Whether the pickup case will be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony likely hinges on whether anyone in the vehicle sustained injuries, a detail not yet made public.
A Landmark Building Takes the Hit
KVII-TV's studios sit inside One Broadcast Center, a pyramid-shaped building designed by architect Paul Rudolph where the station has broadcast since 1968, according to background compiled on Wikipedia. The site sits roughly 500 feet from the shared studio complex used by competing Amarillo stations KAMR-TV, KCIT, and KCPN-LP, per background from TV Stations Wikia, placing the crash right in the middle of the city's downtown media corridor.
The fuel truck involved traces back to a company that has changed hands twice in recent years. WTG Fuels Holdings, based in Midland, sold its retail convenience stores and 111 fleet fueling cardlock locations across West Texas and the Panhandle to ARKO Corp. and GPM Investments for $140.2 million in June 2023, according to CSP Daily News. The remaining bulk propane, commercial fuels, and lubricants delivery division was then acquired by ThompsonGas in September 2024, which rebranded the Texas operations as TG Fuels, per MobilityPlaza.
Intersection Crashes Remain a Persistent Danger
The Southeast 11th and Pierce intersection sits within a stretch of downtown Amarillo that has seen serious crashes before. On May 7, a Dodge pickup traveling south on the 300 block of North Pierce Street went off the roadway and struck a tree, killing its 36-year-old driver, according to a statement from the Amarillo Police Department.
Intersection collisions are a statewide problem. Texas Department of Transportation crash statistics show 1,050 people were killed in intersection or intersection-related collisions across the state in 2024. Within the agency's Amarillo District alone, 2,453 crashes that year involved speeding, resulting in 24 fatalities and 109 serious injuries. Nationally, the picture has been improving: preliminary NHTSA estimates published in April showed U.S. traffic fatalities fell 6.7% in 2025 to 36,640, the second-lowest fatality rate per vehicle mile traveled in recorded history.
No further details on the condition of the KVII-TV building or the status of any charges against the pickup's driver and passengers have been released.
