Woman Dies In Four-Vehicle Crash

Traffic came to a standstill Monday afternoon when two 18-wheelers and two cars became tangled in a fatal collision on Interstate 20 near the 514 mile marker.

Fifty-five-year old Tyler resident Teresa Douglass Cook was killed in the crash, and was pronounced dead at the scene by Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Ronnie Daniell.

Department of Public Safety Trooper Damon Williams said the accident occurredin the eastbound lane at around 3:30 p.m.

Unit one was a 2005 loaded freightliner driven by Robert Mackey, 48, of Terre Haute, Indiana. Mackey had a front seat passenger, Darlean Sanders, who was transported to Renaissance Hospital in Terrell.

Unit two was a 2006 Kia driven by Teresa Douglass Cook, 55, Tyler. Cook had no passengers.

Shelly O’Neal Mitchell, 36, Tyler, was driving a 2008 Toyota Camry. This vehicle is described as unit three. Mitchell had no passengers.

Then unit four was a loaded 1999 Peterbilt driven by 56-year-old Dyanne Geraldine Kirkland of Lakeland, Florida. Kirkland had no passengers.

Williams explained that although both lanes of traffic were open, it was a construction zone and traffic was extremely heavy.

"Unit number one was behind unit number four in the outside, right lane, traveling eastbound and unit two was behind unit three in the left lane," Williams explained.

Because of the construction zone and the building traffic, Williams said Kirkland started to slow down.

"Unit one veered to the left and he failed to control speed and hit number two," Williams said. "Number two hit number three and pushed it off into the center median facing north."

Williams said that Cook veered to the right and hit the back of the 1999 Peterbilt’s trailer and then Cook’s Kia began to spin.

"(Mackey) went through the center median and into the westbound lane and came to rest eastbound in the westbound lane," Williams said. "(Cook) kept spinning and came to rest in the left lane westbound in the eastbound inside lane."

Williams said Cook was killed upon impact.

Williams said Mackey will be charged with criminally negligent homicide.