October 21, 2016 - The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is investigating a major crash which occurred on State Highway 87 South Friday, October 21, 2016.
Units with the Shelby County Sheriff's Department and ACE EMS ambulance service arrived with DPS Troopers and provided support at the scene. The driver was transported to the ambulance and at the time of the crash, was reported to have been taken to Nacogdoches.
Witnesses at the scene saw the Hyundai Santa Fe leave the roadway as it was traveling south and go airborne before crashing into a fence line where it came to rest facing north.
The Santa Fe crashed through a telephone junction box and caused a power outage at a house where it came to rest.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Austin Lunsford, at approximately 2:13pm a Hyundai Santa Fe SUV driven by Terri Smith Tompkins, 53, of Shelbyville was traveling south on State Highway 87.
The vehicle left the roadway and traveled into the southbound bar ditch where the SUV struck a concrete culvert, which sent the Santa Fe airborne.
After landing, the SUV struck a tree with its front portion causing the vehicle to rotate crashing into a fence and land upside down on its top. The impact into the tree is believed to be at high speeds due to no evidence of braking after leaving the roadway.
Tompkins was wearing her seatbelt. Witnesses cut her out of her seatbelt and freed her from the vehicle until EMS arrived. Tompkins was transported to Nacogdoches memorial hospital with serious injuries.
DPS Trooper Lunsford was assisted at the scene by additional Trooper units and Shelby County Sheriff's Deputies.
