An officer suffered minor injuries while rescuing a 3-year-old child from one of two burning vehicles.
LUBBOCK, Texas — Three people, including a 2-year-old child, were killed and four others suffered serious injuries after a wrong-way driver struck two vehicles on Interstate 27, causing two of them to catch fire, police said.
The three-vehicle crash happened Thursday evening in the 6600 block of Interstate 27. Officers first received a report of a wrong-way driver near 19th Street at about 7:23 p.m. While police were responding, dispatchers received reports that the vehicle had crashed farther south on the interstate.
Investigators believe 29-year-old Oscar Hernandez Sotelo Jr. was driving south in the northbound lanes with two young children in the back seat. His car first struck a northbound passenger vehicle driven by 24-year-old Jairon Foster, according to the Lubbock Police Department.
Police said Sotelo continued traveling south after the first collision and then struck a pickup truck head-on. When officers arrived, two of the three vehicles were engulfed in flames. Sotelo and a 2-year-old child traveling in his vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene.
An officer pulled a 3-year-old child from one of the burning vehicles and suffered minor injuries during the rescue, police said. The child was taken by ambulance to University Medical Center with serious injuries. Authorities did not release the children’s names or provide an updated condition for the surviving child.
Foster was also transported to University Medical Center with serious injuries. His passenger, 60-year-old Lakecha Collins, was pronounced dead at the scene, bringing the crash’s death toll to three.
The pickup truck’s driver, 28-year-old Alexis Wallace, and her passenger, 19-year-old Aaliyah Wallace, were taken to Covenant Medical Center with serious injuries. Police had not released updated information about their conditions as of Monday.
The Lubbock Police Department’s Major Crash Unit is investigating the sequence of events and what caused Sotelo to enter the interstate in the wrong direction. Initial information indicates that alcohol and speed might have contributed to the crash, police said. Investigators have not announced final findings.
Authorities have not said how long Sotelo traveled against traffic before the first collision or where he entered the northbound lanes. Police also have not released additional information about the relationship between Sotelo and the two children riding in his car.
Investigators were seeking witnesses and video showing the wrong-way vehicle or the moments before the collisions. The investigation remained active Monday, and no further details about the officer injured during the rescue had been released.
Author note: Last updated July 27, 2026.