April Michelle Files Injured in Fatal Smith County Three-Vehicle Crash on Toll 49

Smith County, Texas (March 9, 2021) – One person was killed, and another was injured Monday morning in a three-vehicle crash in Smith County, according to the DPS.

The fatal crash happened around 9:15 a.m., March 8, on Toll 49, five miles northwest of Tyler.

According to a preliminary investigation, a 2004 Freightliner towing a food trailer was traveling southbound when the trailer became detached from the truck, traveled into the northbound lane, and hit a 2005 Toyota Tundra. A northbound 2019 Land Rover, which was traveling behind the Tundra, then rear-ended the trailer.

The Tundra driver, Kelly Michelle Hall, 49, of Tyler, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The Land Rover driver, April Michelle Files, 42, of Houston, was taken to Christus Trinity Mother Frances Hospital – Tyler in stable condition. 

The driver of the Freightliner, Steven Fredrick Elgin, 38, of Hughes Springs, was uninjured in the crash.

The crash remains under investigation.

“When a person has suffered a grave personal injury in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, the most overwhelming emotion they feel is a sense of injustice. They often ask how such a life-altering event could have happened to them,” attorney Joel A. Gordon said. “The next question usually is, who can help me?” Mr. Gordon added.

A legal advocate can represent an injury victim or the family of a deceased victim. The attorney will file a claim on behalf of the victim and will have the responsibility of citing existing codes, laws, or statutes which were violated.

To speak with an attorney, Click to call: 281-943-5555.