Basic Facts
Crash date: March 14, 2026
Crash location: U.S. Highway 259 near Kilgore, TX
People involved:
- John Wood, 84
- Unidentified Chrysler passenger, 60
- Unidentified Jeep driver, 29
- Unidentified Ford driver, 66
Do authorities suspect alcohol played a role in this crash? Unknown
Did authorities recommend criminal charges? Unknown
Do authorities suspect a product defect caused the crash? Unknown
Accident Report
Rusk County, TX — March 14, 2026, John Wood was killed in a car accident at about 10:15 p.m. on U.S. Highway 259/Charles K. Devall Memorial Highway near Kilgore.
A preliminary accident report indicates that a 2022 Chrysler Pacifica was heading northeast when it collided with a 2021 Jeep Cherokee while trying to pass another vehicle west of Dudley Road. A 2023 Ford F-150 was damaged in the crash as well.
Chrysler driver John Jay Wood, 84, died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to the report. His passenger, a 60-year-old woman, suffered minor injuries.
The other drivers were not injured, the report states.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Rusk County crash at this time.
How Did This Accident Occur?
Initial accounts of this crash contend the Chrysler driver caused this crash while trying to pass another vehicle on U.S. 259 near Kilgore, but what if a mechanical issue caused his SUV to accelerate unexpectedly? Or a blown tire made it veer into oncoming traffic?
Those scenarios may seem far-fetched, but I have seen them play out in other crashes that I have seen in my career. That is why each crash deserves a full investigation, one that yields the kind of facts needed to separate the possible from the impossible. That is the only way the Chrysler driver’s family will get answers about how this crash happened.
Did you witness this crash? Let us know in the comments.
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