7 Killed in Texas Crash; 3 Are From Southland
A car going the wrong way on Interstate 10 collided head-on with another car Saturday, killing all seven people in both vehicles near Van Horn, about 120 miles east of El Paso.
Three of the dead were from Southern California.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said a 1998 Pontiac was traveling west in the eastbound lanes of the interstate. It ran into the path of a tractor-trailer truck and a 1994 Nissan that was passing the big-rig.
Department spokesman Mike Cox said the truck veered to the shoulder to avoid the Pontiac, which then collided with the Nissan. The force of the accident sent both cars spinning in the air.
The driver of the Pontiac was identified as Lorenzo Sukis, 33, of El Paso. Also in the vehicle were Ivana Sukis, 10, and Pablo Sukis, 5.
Killed in the Nissan were Fredo Fernandez, 46, and Maria Escobar, 51, both of Los Angeles; Carlos Laugart, 45, of South Gate, and an unidentified Hispanic woman.
All were wearing seat belts except for the 5-year-old, who was thrown from the Pontiac, officials said.
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