A North Texas woman is living through every parent’s worst nightmare after her entire world was shattered in a single moment. Her husband, Tommy Moorehead, and their two young children were killed in a head-on collision on Saturday afternoon, leaving her to pick up the pieces of a life that changed forever in an instant.
It happened around 12:30 p.m. on May 17 in Van Alstyne, Texas. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, it was a three-car crash that never should have happened.
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Authorities say 63-year-old Rocky Patterson was driving a Dodge truck when he tried to pass another vehicle while going uphill in a no-pass zone. In doing so, he slammed head-on into Tommy Moorehead’s vehicle.
The crash was violent. Moorehead’s truck caught fire, and tragically, neither he nor his children survived. The kids were just 4 and 6 years old. All three were pronounced dead at the scene.
Patterson was taken to the hospital, and the driver of the third vehicle involved in the crash was treated on-site and released.
Just one day later, on May 18, Texas Highway Patrol troopers obtained a warrant for Patterson’s arrest. He was booked into the Grayson County Jail and now faces three counts of manslaughter, a second-degree felony in Texas. His bond has been set at $3 million.
The heartbreak left behind is hard to comprehend. Tommy Moorehead was a husband and a father, and in a blink, he and his children were gone. His wife, Brooke Moorehead, is now left to face the unimaginable reality of losing her entire family.
A GoFundMe campaign was launched by one of Brooke’s coworkers to help her during this devastating time. The fundraiser names the children as Lynnlee and Tommy Jr.
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“In a single instant, Brooke lost everything,” the GoFundMe post reads. “Tommy was a devoted husband and father, a kind soul who worked hard and loved his family with his whole heart. Lynnlee was full of life, joy, and curiosity. Little Tommy Jr. was just beginning his journey in the world, always smiling and full of love.”
It’s a grief that no one should have to endure, and now Brooke is facing it alone. The fundraiser adds, “She is facing the unimaginable, and she needs all of us to help her through this most painful time.”
People across the state and beyond are already stepping up to offer words of comfort and financial support as Brooke begins to navigate a future without the three people she loved most in the world.
As investigators continue piecing together exactly what led to the crash, the charges against Patterson send a clear message about the devastating cost of reckless driving. For one Texas family, the cost was everything.
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