TATUM, Texas (KLTV) – A commercial building in Tatum was at least partially demolished when an 18-wheelher crashed into it on Monday.

At around 4:30 p.m., after failing to stop at an intersection of highways 43 and 149, the 18-wheeler hit the passenger side of a sedan which was also crossing through the intersection. Then the truck veered into the side of T’s Cafe and Catering.

The owners of that business said that luckily no one was inside when the truck crashed into it, as they close at 2 p.m.

A witness said it all happened in a matter of seconds, but that there were bystanders who quickly attended to both injured drivers until emergency services got to the scene.

The driver of the car was taken by ambulance to a Longview hospital, while the truck driver was airlifted to UT Health in Tyler.

Although the truck has been towed away from the restaurant, Tatum Fire Chief Rayford Gibson is asking drivers in the area to avoid the four-way stop at Hwy 149 and Hwy 43.

“They can turn a block in any direction away from the four-way and go around it, whether they’re going north or south, either one, and that would certainly be helpful if they would do that,” Gibson said.

Copyright 2024 KLTV. All rights reserved.