WATCH: Shocking Video of a Semi Truck Crash in West Texas

On December 27, 2019, KCBD NewsChannel 11 posted the image you see above to their Facebook page with the following caption: “TRAFFIC ALERT: Those driving on U.S. Highway 84 are asked avoid Slaton and Highway 84. The highway is shut down in both directions. A DPS trooper has been injured and a driver is trapped in a vehicle.” A Texas state trooper and a pickup truck driver were injured when foggy conditions resulted in a multi-car pile-up which was compounded by a careening semi. The semi-truck ran into the melee, which the trooper tried to escape (getting injured in the process), and crushed the pickup with its driver still inside.

Updates from the Texas Department of Public Safety indicate that the trooper was released from the hospital that evening suffering from a cut on the back of his head, a sprained ankle, and some bruising on his back and to his ribs. The pickup truck driver survived the crash and was held for further monitoring at the hospital. He was last noted in stable condition with a few significant injuries. A KCBD crew had been on-location, filming the pile-up for a news report when they captured the semi crash. A link to the video is available here.

Video: YouTube/KTVQ  News

Shared on a number of news channels via YouTube, the video above shows the crash as it happens. The semi-truck turned on its side as it hit the pickup. Its trailer swung over in the process and hit the DPS trooper. The Texas DPS told KCBD their initial response that day was to a two-vehicle crash that occurred on US 84 at approximately 10:45 a.m. It blocked the westbound lane just east of Slaton, but while they were investigating on the scene, an eastbound semi jackknifed, ending up in the center median. Following that, a number of other vehicles created the multi-car pile-up. And, the semi seen in the video shared above was traveling eastbound toward the scene when an SUV changed lanes directly in front of it, resulting in the driver taking evasive action, causing the truck to jackknife and roll on its side. Lubbock Fire Department crews responded to the scene and a heavy rescue unit extracted the driver from his pickup.