A tragic car crash on State Highway 19, four miles south of Canton, Texas, resulted in one death and one injury, according to reports from the Texas Department of Public Safety. The incident occurred on August 1, 2023, at approximately 3:56 PM and involved two vehicles.
The first vehicle involved was a 2005 GMC Yukon, driven by 62-year-old Jess Burks Alford III, a resident of South Padre Island, Texas. Fortunately, Alford III emerged from the accident without any injuries reported.
Tragically, the second vehicle was a 2005 Volkswagen GLI, driven by 48-year-old Samuel Todd Oatman, a resident of Canton, Texas. Oatman was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident by Doctor Holly, who was present at Trinity Mother Frances Hospital in Canton, Texas. The passenger in Oatman's vehicle, 36-year-old Brittany Dawn Hunt, also from Canton, Texas, sustained injuries and was immediately transported to UT Health in Athens, Texas, for medical attention.
Preliminary investigations into the incident suggest that both vehicles were traveling northbound on SH 19 when the Volkswagen, driven by Oatman, reduced its speed to make a left turn. Tragically, the GMC Yukon, operated by Alford III, failed to control its speed and subsequently collided with the back of the Volkswagen, causing both vehicles to veer off the road and crash into a nearby ditch.
