Wrong-way I-14 crash in Coryell County kills two, injures child

Two people died and a 2-year-old child was seriously injured after a wrong-way crash on Interstate 14 near Bell Tower Road late Monday night, turning one of Coryell County’s busiest commuter routes into a fatal scene in seconds.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said the crash happened at about 11:55 p.m. on I-14 in Coryell County and involved a vehicle traveling the wrong way. FOX 44 reported the wreck as a head-on collision. DPS said two people were killed at the scene, while the young child was taken away in serious condition. No names had been released in the information available.

The crash hit a stretch of highway that matters well beyond the immediate scene. Interstate 14 carries traffic between Copperas Cove, Gatesville and the Bell County line, and at night the road leaves little room for a driver who enters in the wrong direction. Wrong-way crashes are among the most dangerous roadway events because drivers have almost no time to react before impact, especially on a high-speed corridor after dark.

Texas Highway Patrol, DPS’s roadway arm, says it focuses on high-visibility patrol, deterring threats on Texas roads, responding to critical events and providing emergency rescue statewide. DPS also maintains collision reports and summaries, a record that helps show how deadly highway crashes fit into the broader traffic safety picture across Texas and in counties like Coryell.

The investigation remained ongoing, and more details were not immediately available about the sequence of events or whether impairment, confusion at an interchange or another factor contributed. For Coryell County families, the toll was already clear: two lives lost, a child seriously hurt, and another reminder that one mistake on a major road can shatter multiple lives in a matter of seconds.