9-21-05 - One year after the worst auto accident Sherman had ever seen, the families of the 10 victims visited the roadside markers to mourn.

Hilda Zapata lost her husband and five of his friends on September 20th, 2004 – all of the men riding in an extended cab pick-up that was hit head-on by an 18-wheeler after the big rig crossed the center median on US-75. But they weren’t the only victims. Michael Martin lost his wife and two children and his mother-in-law. They were returning from a shopping trip in the family’s SUV – also crushed underneath the semi-truck.

But the hope of all the victims’ relatives is that something is done to keep a similar tragedy from happening again. And Tx-Dot is planning for just that type of prevention. They’d already drawn up plans for concrete barriers to be installed on that stretch of highway before the accident, but the publicity afterwards helped speed the process.

The barriers will extend from FM 902 to north Travis Street in Sherman. Construction on the 3-month, $2.63 million project will begin by February

The truck driver who faces ten counts of vehicular manslaughter remains in the Grayson County jail. Miroslaw Jozwiak will go to trial on November 28th.