Houston 18-Wheeler Driver Arrested After Fatal Rayne Hit-and-Run

Two fatal hit-and-run crashes involving 18-wheelers have recently occurred, one in Texas and the other in Louisiana. In Texas, an 18-wheeler driver made an unsafe lane change on the Dallas North Tollway, causing a Honda Civic to crash and flip, killing the driver Juan Quiroz. The driver of the 18-wheeler fled the scene and remains unidentified as authorities continue their investigation. In Louisiana, Thomas Smith, 49, of Houston, was arrested in connection with a deadly hit-and-run on Interstate 10 near Rayne, where Jeremy Thomas died after colliding with Smith's parked semi-truck. Smith fled the scene but was identified through surveillance cameras and arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety Violent Crimes Task Force. Louisiana law requires drivers involved in crashes causing injury or death to remain at the scene, and hit-and-run offenses can carry prison sentences up to 10 years.