Wreck near Harley claims four lives including three from Dumas

A two-vehicle accident on Friday, Feb. 25 near Hartley claimed four lives and seriously injured two others. Two of the lives lost were children ages 11 and 6.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the accident took place around 6:10 p.m. on US Highway 87 about seven miles east of Hartley.

The DPS reports that Maurice Jefferson, 33, of Dumas, was driving a 2019 Honda HR-V with passengers Abbie Serbin, 32, of Dumas, an 11-year-old boy, and a 6-year-old girl. For unknown reasons, Jefferson veered into the opposite lane of travel and into the path of a 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Eugene Trujillo, 59, of Clayton, NM. With him was a passenger, 62-year-old Diana Segura, also of Clayton.

Trujillo attempted to avoid the collision by steering the Tahoe to the left while Jefferson attempted to avoid the crash by steering back into the westbound lane resulting in a head-on collision.

Jefferson, and both the 11-year-old boy and 6-year-old girl were pronounced dead at the scene by Hartley County Judge Ronnie Gordon. Serbin was taken to Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo with serious injuries. Trujillo was also taken to Northwest Texas Hospital with serious injuries while his passenger, Segura, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Everyone involved in the accident was wearing a seat belt at the time  of the collision. The DPS says the crash remains under investigation by Texas Highway Patrol Troopers.