A motor vehicle accident during the early hours of April 13 killed three Northeast Texas teenagers and sent five others to area hospitals. The one-vehicle wreck occurred around 1 a.m. on FM 906, just north of the Pat Mayse Lake dam and south of the Texas-Oklahoma state line.
A Texas Department of Public Safety release said that both speed and alcohol are suspected factors in the crash. The 2006 Chevrolet pickup truck went off the road, hit a tree, and rolled, officials said. The truck was carrying eight passengers, more than the capacity of the vehicle, the report said. Only one occupant was wearing a seat belt, officials said.
The driver, Robert Russell, 18, of Paris, was killed. Colbie Miller, 19, of Paris, and Bailee Elizabeth Sims, 19, of Paris, were also killed.
Joshua Chitsey, 18, of Mt. Vernon, was transported by air to Plano Medical Center, where he remains.
John Ous, 18, of Mt. Vernon, was taken by ground to Paris Regional Medical Center, where he remains. Three passengers were taken by ground to Paris Regional Medical Center, where they were treated and released: Brittney Ann Beshirs, 18, of Reno; Dylan Stephens, 18, of Paris; and Colby White, 18, of Mt. Vernon.
