A multi-vehicle crash involving an 18-wheeler at one of North Texas's busiest freeway junctions left one person dead and three others hospitalized Monday afternoon. Dallas police responded to the scene near U.S. Highway 75 and Interstate 635 at approximately 12:20 p.m., where a white sedan had been crushed by the truck, according to chopper footage from the scene.
Dallas police reported that one person died in the crash near the High Five Interchange, and Dallas Fire-Rescue confirmed that one person died at the scene while three others were transported to the hospital, according to WFAA. Police said at least one of the hospitalized victims was transported in critical condition. The crash involved multiple vehicles, including the 18-wheeler that struck the sedan.
A Junction Built for Half a Million Cars a Day
The High Five Interchange was engineered to handle roughly 500,000 vehicles daily, making it one of the busiest highway junctions in North Texas, according to L.H.F. Inc. Zachry Construction Corporation built it. Completed in December 2005 at a cost of $261 million, it was Dallas's first five-level stack freeway structure, rising 117 feet and incorporating 43 permanent bridges, per Wikipedia. The stacked design replaced an outdated 1960s cloverleaf that could no longer keep pace with the region's growth.
U.S. Highway 75, also known as Central Expressway, carries about 260,000 vehicles daily and sees more than 1,000 crashes a year. The DFW Crash Data site describes high speeds and commuter fatigue as risks along the corridor, while the High Five's complex ramp merging can add to driving challenges.
Why Big Rigs Make Freeway Crashes Worse
The physics of a loaded tractor-trailer help explain why collisions involving 18-wheelers on stacked interchanges tend to be especially severe. A fully loaded truck weighing up to 80,000 pounds needs as much as 525 feet to stop from 65 mph, according to the J. Alexander Law Firm, which notes that tight connector curves and sudden merges on interchanges like the High Five leave little room for error. Heavy trucks weigh roughly 20 times more than a standard passenger vehicle, a disparity that was on stark display Monday when the sedan was crushed beneath the truck.
A fatal barrier crash occurred along Interstate 635 in 2019.
Truck Crashes Add Up Across Dallas County and Texas
The numbers behind commercial truck crashes in Texas are substantial. Statewide, 39,393 commercial motor vehicle crashes were documented in 2024, resulting in 608 deaths and 1,601 suspected serious injuries, averaging about 108 truck crashes per day, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Dallas County alone recorded 3,778 commercial motor vehicle crashes in 2025, ranking second in the state behind Harris County for total commercial truck collisions.
Those figures sit against a backdrop of broader roadway fatality trends. Texas Department of Transportation records show 4,150 people died in motor vehicle crashes statewide in 2024, with 1,050 of those fatalities occurring at or near intersections — a total that reflected a 3.29% decrease compared to 2023. Locally, fatal traffic collisions in Dallas fell by 19% between 2024 and 2025, with corridors like Loop 12 seeing a 52% drop following targeted roadway engineering and enhanced enforcement, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.
Dallas's Push Toward Zero Traffic Deaths
Dallas's Roadway Safety Planning Dallas's roadway safety planning includes attention to its High Injury Network.
No further details on the cause of Monday's crash or the identities of those involved have been released. The investigation remains ongoing.
