Texas pickup truck rollover while mudding kills family of 5
Dallas, TX (JusticeNewsFlash.com)—Five people died Sunday evening when their pickup truck got stuck in a shallow pond at a small horse track, just south of Odessa. The truck was reportedly idling for several minutes with its tailpipe submerged below the water before anyone realized something was seriously wrong, reported the Dallas Morning News. The Ector County Sheriff’s Office stated the pickup truck got stuck when it was apparently “mudding” in the shallow pond at the horse track. “Mudding” is when people attempt to drive a motor vehicle through shallow pools, mud, or muck, usually with the goal of getting muddy. The victims were family members—Lenin Polanco, 42, Martha Isela Caballero, 40, and their daughter Gladisela Polanco, 19, from Kermit. The two other victims were Maurilio Hernandez, 40, and Adan V. Saucedo, 32, both family friends from Monahans.
Authorities believe the truck sat idling in the shallow water for 15 to 30 minutes, before anyone thought the occupants might need help. Witnesses reportedly called 911 and broke the truck window to pull out the unresponsive victims. Reports indicate Odessa area emergency medical services (EMS) crews intercepted a vehicle attempting to take a female victim to the nearby Odessa hospital, she was pronounced dead at the scene. The other four victims were transported to an Odessa hospital where they were pronounced dead an hour after arriving at the hospital for treatment. The bodies of the deceased victims were sent to the Tarrant County medical examiner for autopsies.
Ector County Sheriff’s Officer investigators say the cause of death is speculated to have caused from carbon monoxide poisoning. The exhaust would have likely entered the cab of the truck through its air conditioning vents, due to the tailpipe being submerged underwater. Police officials are waiting for the autopsy reports before determining the exact cause of death.
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