Update: (April 12, 2016) Information originally included in this article pertaining to the direction of travel has been removed as it has been disputed and corrected information from the officer who investigated the crash is pending. The actions which were indicated by the officer to have caused the crash and the result remain the same.
April 8, 2016 - Hurst Street at the intersection of Wheeler Street in Center was the scene of a major three-vehicle crash on Friday, April 8, 2016.
Emergency personnel from ACE EMS, Center Police Department and Center Fire Department were immediately dispatched to the scene.
Upon arrival, a passenger car was blocking the outside southbound traffic lane of Hurst Street with the driver still inside and a black pickup truck lay upside down on FM 138 (Arcadia Road, across from Wheeler Street) with the passenger still inside and the driver attempting to free her hand which was trapped. Attempts were finally successful by use of a crow bar to pry the metal of the truck apart and free her hand.
According to Center Police Officer John Welch, at 11:30am Melvin Black, 56, was driving a black Dodge Ram 1500 on Hurst Street in the left-hand turning lane with a green arrow light. As Black was in the intersection a black Dodge passenger car driven by Dana Parker, 42, ran the red light and collided with the pickup truck flipping it and sending it into the eastbound traffic lane of Arcadia Road. The Dodge pickup truck then collided with a white Chevrolet 2500 HD 4x4 pickup truck driven by Benjamin Burns, 54, of Center.
Center firemen and Center Police Department assisted EMS in extricating Betty Griffin, 88, from the pickup truck.
Parker, Black and Griffin were all transported by ACE EMS to Nacogdoches Medical Center - Center Emergency Department for treatment. No citations have been issued at this time and the crash remains under investigation. Officers Welch was assisted at the scene by Officer Angela Neal, Sgt. Ricky King, Lt. Jeremy Bittick and Texas Department of Public Safety State Trooper Keith Jones.
