A cow in Highway 69 was the cause of multiple collisions Sunday evening, one that resulted in the death of a 13-year-old Alba teenager.

The Texas Department of Public Safety issued a teletype of the collision that claimed the life of Judd Lyles and also involved his three brothers, Joel, 18; Jay 16 and Colin, 20. Judd, who DPS said was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the vehicle. He was transported to East Texas Medical Center Hospital in Quitman where a doctor pronounced him deceased.

Joel, the driver, was wearing a seatbelt and sustained what was described as nonincapacitating injuries and was transported to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler. They said Jay was not wearing a seatbelt and sustained nonincapacitating injury while Collin, who was in a seatbelt, sustained incapacitating injuries.

DPS said that Trooper Gary Hayes was dispatched to the scene at 8:30 p.m. on Highway 69 2.2 miles northwest of Mineola. Lyles was driving a white 2008 Chevrolet Silverado pickup and was headed northwest on the highway. The pickup struck a cow lying in the road, which caused the truck to roll over several times, ejecting Judd.

Denny James of Greenville was one of the people who also struck the cow. "My heart melts for the family of those boys," he said.

James was headed north on Highway 69. He said that he was passing through the areas where the speed limit goes from 55 to 70 miles per hour. As he topped the hill, he noticed two vehicles had pulled to the side of the road with their hazard lights on. Just as he was able to see that, "Bam," he said, "I didn't know what I hit." There was a big explosion as his airbags deployed. His 2003 Honda Accord "made it to the end of the ravine and then hit the ditch." At first he was trapped in the car but then managed to escape and as he reached the top of the hill saw an 18-wheeler approaching. He tried to get the trucker to slow down to avoid hitting the cow. The driver did slow down, "but he still hit the cow."

James said he didn't know if that pushed the large black cow further into the road but "there was no way they could see it." He said the next thing they knew they heard the crash and the white truck was rolling toward them. "That's when the mayhem ensued and I freaked out," he said. He said he was still in shock because two minutes prior he had found himself in the bottom of a ditch stuck in his car that was smashed in.

James said there was a pastor from Grand Saline who had also stopped, who he believes may have been the first one to hit the cow. He said the pastor was with his two boys, but he managed to remain much calmer.

"His car was damaged. My car was totaled. But that boy lost his life. That's the worst part," James said. James, who was returning home from a prison ministry in Henderson, said his chest was hurt, his shoulder bruised and his arm was cut. But, he said, "I'll be all right. It just feels like I was in a wrestling match."