Dominique Celestine, Christopher Smith, Brandon Snider, Christopher McDonald, Preston Bennett, and Thomas Hersey Hospitalized after Jefferson County Crash on Highway 73

Jefferson County, Texas (July 17, 2019) – Six people were injured Tuesday morning in a traffic accident involving three vehicles in Jefferson County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The collision occurred at about 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, July 16 on eastbound Highway 73, just west of Taylor’s Bayou.

The DPS said a Buick SUV and a semi-tractor trailer were stopped in the eastbound lanes of traffic on Highway 73, waiting for an oversized load to cross the highway.

The Buick was then struck by a speeding van towing a trailer. The force of the impact pushed the Buick into a ditch where it flipped over multiple times before coming to a stop.

The stopped 18-wheeler also slammed into the rear of the van.

Dominique Celestine, 27, of Beaumont, who was the driver of the Buick, suffered major injuries and was taken by ground ambulance to St. Elizabeth’s hospital.

The driver of the van, Christopher Smith, 47, of LaPorte, was also transported by ground ambulance to St. Elizabeth’s hospital with major injuries. Three of the four passengers in the van, Brandon Snider, 35, Christopher McDonald, 22, and Preston Bennett, 41, were all transported by ground ambulance to the Southeast Texas Medical Center with unspecified injuries.

Thomas Hersey, 61, of LaPorte, who was the fourth passenger in the van, was airlifted to St. Elizabeth’s hospital in Beaumont with major injuries.

The driver of the 18-wheeler was uninjured in the wreck.

The cause of the crash is underway.