On Thursday afternoon, a horrific three-vehicle collision at a major junction north of Fort Worth resulted in the death of an eight-year-old kid. On Thursday, January 22, 2026, at around 3:45 p.m., the incident happened near the junction of Alliance Boulevard and State Highway 114. This crossroads is located in Wise County, Texas, near the western boundary of the city of Rhome.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) identified the young victim as Matteo Hernandez. A preliminary investigation by DPS Troopers determined that a sedan was attempting to make a left turn from eastbound Highway 114 onto northbound Alliance Boulevard. As it turned, it was struck on the passenger side by a westbound pickup truck.
The impact of the initial collision sent the sedan into a third vehicle, a pickup truck that was stopped in the westbound lanes of Highway 114. The force of the crashes caused extensive damage to all three vehicles involved. The three-quarter-ton pickup truck that caused the broadside collision was hauling a trailer at the time.
Matteo Hernandez, an eight-year-old second-grader at Prairie View Elementary School in the Northwest Independent School District, was a passenger in the sedan. He was airlifted from the scene by CareFlite to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. Tragically, he was pronounced dead before the helicopter arrived at the hospital.
The driver of the sedan, the boy’s 63-year-old grandmother from Fort Worth, was transported by ground ambulance to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. She was treated for a broken hip and a spinal fracture. The driver of the pickup truck that struck the sedan was not injured. The occupants of the third pickup truck sustained only minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
The Texas Department of Public Safety continues its active investigation into the fatal crash. Troopers are working to determine all contributing factors, which may include vehicle speed, driver attention, and traffic signal timing. The community and Matteo’s school have been deeply affected by the loss of the young student.
