A woman lost her “entire family” after a head-on crash killed her husband, daughter and son on May 17
The driver is facing three counts of manslaughter and the bond is set at a total of $3 million
That same weekend, six other people died in three separate crashes in North Texas
A father and his two young children died after a head-on collision – the same weekend that three other deadly crashes occurred in North Texas, according to reports.
Tommy Moorehead III, a 41-year-old man from Leonard, and his two children – who were later identified by a family friend as his 6-year-old daughter, Lynnlee, and his four-year-old son, Tommy Jr. – were pronounced dead at the scene after a three-vehicle crash in Van Alstyne on Saturday, May 17 caused the father’s Chevrolet Silverado to catch fire, NBC affiliate KXAS, CBS News and FOX affiliate KDFW reported.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) responded to the crash at around 12:30 p.m. local time on Farm-to-Market Road 3133 after the 63-year-old driver of a Dodge 3500, Rocky Patterson, was going up a hill and tried to pass a Toyota Tacoma in a no-passing zone, KXAS reported. Instead, Patterson hit Tommy’s Silverado head-on, causing the fire.
DPS told the outlet that Patterson then hit the Tacoma. The driver of the Tacoma, a 74-year-old man, who is not named, was injured and treated at the scene, CBS News reported. Patterson was transported to a local hospital for treatment. According to Grayson County Jail records, Patterson was booked the next day and is facing three counts of manslaughter, a second-degree felony. His combined bond totals $3 million. It is unclear if Patterson has legal representation.
DPS and Grayson County Judge Bruce Dawsey did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment. The Van Alstyne Police Department was unable to provide further information, as DPS is leading the ongoing investigation.
Tommy’s widow, Brooke Mustard Moorehead, is facing an “unimaginable tragedy” now that her “entire family” is gone, a friend wrote in a GoFundMe page to support funeral costs.
“In a single instant, Brooke lost everything,” wrote the friend, who works with Brooke.
“Tommy was a devoted husband and father, a kind soul who worked hard and loved his family with his whole heart,” continued the organizer, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. “Lynnlee was full of life, joy and curiosity. Little Tommy Jr. was just beginning his journey in the world, always smiling and full of love.”
The Moorehead family isn’t the only one left to navigate an unexplainable tragedy.
That same weekend, six people died in three separate crashes on north Texas roads, including a collision involving a wrong-way driver that left two dead in the early morning hours of Sunday, May 18, KXAS reported.