3 Wise County teens injured, 16-year-old girl killed in Sunday morning crash on U.S. 281

One teenager died and three were injured in a single-vehicle crash near Perrin early Sunday morning, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The driver of a 2001 Dodge Dakota failed to negotiate a curve, causing the pickup truck to skid into a ditch and hit a fence and a tree before rolling onto its driver’s side, DPS said in a news release.

A 16-year-old passenger, Jacqueline “Jackie” Hernandez , was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident on U.S. 281 in Jack County about 3:45 a.m.

Hernandez was a student at Paradise High School in Wise County, the school district said in an email.

“It is with deep sorrow that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of one of our beloved high school students,” Paradise ISD said in a social media post, adding that counselors would be available at the high school Monday to provide support to students and staff.

A GoFundMe raising money for Hernandez’s funeral costs describes her as “happy, vibrant and full of life.”

The teenager had aspirations to join the Air Force after high school, the GoFundMe page said.

The driver, a 16-year-old boy from Paradise, was transported to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth with “incapacitating injuries,” the DPS report said.

The driver was still in critical condition Monday, DPS Sgt. Juan Gutierrez said.

The other two passengers, a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl from the Bridgeport area, were taken to Faith Community Hospital in Jacksboro with “non-incapacitating injuries,” the report said.