Bystanders Lift Minivan, Rescue Family After Arlington Crash

A video captured an anonymous group of Good Samaritans lifting up minivan to rescue six people trapped in the vehicle following a crash in Arlington.

Details of the Arlington Collision

According to WFAA, the crash occurred when two vehicles racing recklessly on Interstate 20 caused a chain-reaction accident with the minivan. The minivan went off the road and overturned in a grassy median.

The occupants of the minivan, a mother, father, three children, and a grandmother, were able to escape the vehicle after a group of bystanders lifted the minivan to a position that allowed the occupants to be extracted.

Arlington police say one suspect was arrested for driving while intoxicated. She has been identified as Demetria Pryor of Fort Worth. Records indicate she was previously required to wear an alcohol monitoring device which was removed January of 2016.

Authorities recently stepped up enforcement efforts along the stretch of interstate where the crash occurred, issuing 143 citations last week alone.

Texas Car Crash Statistics

The following information was provided by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT):

• 3,773 people were killed in traffic crashes in Texas in 2016. This marks a 5.45-percent increase from the 3,578 deaths reported in 2105.
• Crashes in rural areas of the state accounted for 51.47 percent of traffic-related fatalities, totaling 1,972 deaths.
• An additional 265,076 people were injured in auto accidents in Texas in 2016.
• Based on reportable crash data for 2016, TxDOT estimates:
  • One person was killed in a car crash in Texas every 2 hours and 20 minutes
  • A person was injured every 1 minute and 59 seconds
  • A reportable crash occurred every 57 seconds