15-year-old killed, three injured after head-on crash on Independence Parkway

A 15-year-old boy from Murphy was killed and three other people were hospitalized after a southbound Chevrolet crossed the center median and struck a northbound white Lincoln Navigator around noon Monday in the 600 block of Independence Parkway near West Plano Parkway, Plano police said. Plano Fire-Rescue pronounced the teen dead at the scene, police said.

"Plano police said they and Plano Fire-Rescue were called to the 600 block of Independence Parkway around noon for a reported crash," a police statement said. Initial accounts indicate the collision was a head-on impact after the southbound vehicle left its lane and entered opposing traffic.

Accounts differ on the make of the southbound car. Fox4 and several community outlets identified the vehicle as a blue Chevrolet Volt, while a CBS report initially described it as a blue Chevrolet Cobalt. Plano police traffic investigators continue to examine the vehicle identification as part of the crash file.

Police said the Lincoln Navigator carried four occupants. The 15-year-old male passenger was pronounced dead at the scene by Plano Fire-Rescue. The three other people who were in the Navigator, including the driver, were transported to a hospital; the extent of their injuries has not been released, Plano police said. Police also said the driver of the southbound vehicle was not taken to the hospital.

"Plano PD said speed appears to have contributed to the crash and the investigation is ongoing," officials reported. Plano Police Department’s Traffic Unit has taken the lead on the probe and has not announced whether any citations or criminal charges will be filed in the case.

Witnesses at the scene described a chaotic response as first responders tended to the injured and secured the roadway, and community memorial sites reported that the crash temporarily disrupted traffic along Independence Parkway. Those community pages also relayed messages of grief from Murphy-area residents and said local leaders and school officials have expressed condolences to the family.

Early news reports show inconsistent spellings of the teen's surname and differing vehicle models in initial dispatch accounts; those discrepancies remain unresolved in the traffic unit’s active investigation. As of Tuesday, Plano police had not released further identifying or medical details. The Traffic Unit is asking anyone with information or video of the crash to contact Plano police to assist investigators.