KILGORE, Texas — Four people were killed Monday morning in a two-vehicle crash along State Highway 31, near the Smith and Gregg county line west of FM 2767. First responders pronounced all four victims dead at the scene.
Three men in the first vehicle, traveling eastbound, were identified as Alejandro Julian Martinez, 19; Jonathan Josue Perez, 20; and David Morales Ramos, 21. The driver of the second vehicle was identified as Nicholas Colby Sanders, 40. All four were residents of Kilgore, according to Smith County Pct. 4 Justice of the Peace Curtis Wulf. Preliminary reports indicate the first vehicle crossed into the wrong lane, colliding nearly head-on with the second vehicle.
State Highway 31, particularly the stretch between FM 1639 and Loop 323 in Tyler, has a history of deadly crashes and is often referred to as “Bloody 31.” TxDOT has been planning improvements to the roadway, including widening it to a four-lane highway with medians, redesigning alignments to current safety standards, and adding curb and gutter in urban areas. Funding for the full project has not yet been secured, though a $200,000 loan was approved by the Gregg County Commissioners Court in 2023 to support preliminary work.
Traffic fatalities remain a concern across the region. In 2024, TxDOT reported 147 fatal crashes and 164 deaths across its district covering Anderson, Cherokee, Gregg, Henderson, Rusk, Smith, Van Zandt, and Wood counties, with the majority occurring on rural highways. Tyler District Engineer Vernon Webb emphasized that, while some improvements have been made, fatality rates in the district remain among the highest in the state.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.