A woman injured in a crash with an 18-wheeler on Interstate 30 in Mesquite earlier this week has died, police have confirmed.
In a news release, police identified the woman who died as Amanda Smith, 50, of Dallas. She died shortly before 3 a.m. Wednesday, the release said.
Mesquite Police Department spokesman Brandon Ricketts said. dallas morning news The department was notified of the death early Wednesday morning.
The release states that as of Wednesday, no criminal charges had been filed in connection with the multi-vehicle crash.
Authorities were called to a crash that closed both lanes of Interstate 30 near Gus Thomason Road just after 12:30 p.m. Monday, police said.
“The semi hit the center fence and turned sideways. [In] More vehicles were struck in the process,” Mesquite Police said.
Police said at least three people were hospitalized, two of them in critical condition.
Police said Frieda Easley, 74, of Lloyds, remains in critical condition in a medical facility, and a third person, Kefialyu Jareta, 37, is believed to be in stable condition. added.
Police said three cats were involved in the incident and were taken to a Mesquite animal shelter.
Cat Matchers, a Plano-based rescue group, said in a Facebook post Wednesday that Smith was a volunteer with the organization. In the post, she described her as a passionate and dedicated advocate who is an integral part of not only her Plano nonprofit's efforts, but also the North Texas cat rescue community.
Tammy Kidwell, president of Cat Matchers, said Smith's efforts to promote ethical trap-neuter-return practices and volunteer work have “saved and improved the lives of countless cats.” . Mr Kidwell said the organization was devastated by the loss of someone who was an inspiration and leader to so many in the cat rescue community.
Kidwell said the nonprofit has received an “outpouring” of support. The organization also shared images of the cat involved in the accident and provided updates on the cat's recovery.
“Amanda touched a lot of people through Cat Matcher, but she also worked with a lot of individual rescuers and people in need,” Kidwell said. “She was very involved in the TNR/Community Cat Circle, and her loss will be felt tremendously here.”
According to a GoFundMe dedicated to Smith, she was on her way to deliver several cats to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals when the accident occurred. The money raised from the fundraiser will be used to pay for Smith's funeral expenses and to support the cats that were in her foster home, the page description says.
