Driver sought in 3-vehicle crash deemed hit & run

Contact Chris

Smiley face

Contact Index staff writer Chris Agee
at cagee@mineralwellsindex.com.

The Index welcomes comments. Inappropriate language or comments outside our standards will be removed.

December 17, 2012

Driver sought in 3-vehicle crash deemed hit & run

Anonymous Mineral Wells Index The Mineral Wells Index Mon Dec 17, 2012, 10:40 AM CST

By CHRIS AGEE

Mineral Wells Police reports officers rolled on a call to the scene of a hit-and-run crash Thursday afternoon.

Police said the crash happened around 4 p.m. in the 3100 block of East Hubbard Street.

Upon his arrival, the investigating officer said he spoke to two drivers and a witness involved in the incident, all of whom gave the same basic information.

According to his report, those interviewed said a GMC 3500 truck driven by Michael David Stepich, 28, of Azle, was stopped at a red signal light in a westbound lane of the road prior to the crash.

Johnny Ray Smith, 27, of Lewisville, driving a 1997 Saturn sedan, stopped behind Stepich at the light, the report continued.

The reporting officer concluded a blue Dodge Stratus, driven by an unidentified white male, failed to stop at the intersection and struck the rear of Smith's vehicle, causing it to strike the rear of Stepich's truck.

Reports show Smith and one of his passengers, Michael Lynn Smith, 29, exited the Saturn after the crash and hit the Stratus's hood while yelling at its driver.

According to police, witnesses said the unknown driver backed away from the crash and left the scene. He was not in the area when police arrived, reports indicate.

Police said the GMC sustained rear-end damage while the front and rear of the Saturn was damaged.

Stepich and two of the three occupants of the Saturn were not injured in the crash, police said. Rear seat passenger Janell Renea Lynn Seigler, 19, was transported to Palo Pinto General Hospital for treatment of incapacitating injuries, the report read.

Police said all occupants of both vehicles at the scene were wearing safety belts.

The investigating officer listed driver inattention and failure to control speed by the unidentified driver as possible contributing factors.