Wrong-way crash on Fort Worth highway kills 3 people, hurts 2 others, police say

An investigation is underway after the Fort Worth Police Department said a Jeep traveled the wrong way along a North Texas highway early Tuesday morning, leading to a deadly crash that claimed three lives and sent an adult and a child to the hospital.

The department said it happened around 1:20 a.m. along State Highway 121 near North Riverside Drive. According to police, the Jeep was occupied by an adult driver. The Jeep's driver, police said, was traveling the wrong way in a lane when it first hit another vehicle with three people inside it. While that vehicle did move out of the way, it was still hit on the back driver's side. No major injuries were reported in that car.

However, Fort Worth Police said the Jeep continued traveling east in the westbound lane of traffic, colliding head-on with a four-door sedan carrying four people: three adults and a child aged around 10 or 11.

Fort Worth Police said the driver of the Jeep died on the scene, as did two adult female passengers in the sedan: one in the rear and one in the front passenger seat. The adult driver and child passenger were both taken to local hospitals and are expected to survive.

The investigation into the crash remains ongoing. Fort Worth Police said the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office will identify the people who died later on.

"For anybody that has lost a life here that's involved in this accident, our hearts go out to them," said Officer Buddy Calazada, who spoke to CBS News Texas at the scene. "This is a very tragic scene. We have officers up there, we were up there ourselves, and this is a horrific accident."

The crash impacted traffic for several hours, with drivers facing slowdowns along State Highway 121 well past 5 a.m.

The police department asks anyone with further information, including video of the crash, to call them at 817-392-4222.