4 from Fort Myers, including restaurant owner, killed in Texas crash

Writer: Derrick Shaw
Published: Updated:
Texas Department of Public Safety.

Three people from Fort Myers, including the owner of a popular restaurant and a pregnant woman and her unborn baby, were killed Dec. 9 in a Texas crash.

The crash involved an SUV and a semi-truck on I-10 in Orange County, Texas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Orange County is far southeastern Texas and borders Louisiana.

Troopers say the semi-truck was traveling westbound on I-10 and stopped due to traffic congestion from an earlier crash. The driver of a Toyota SUV was also traveling westbound on the I-10, failed to control his speed and rear-ended the semi-truck.

The driver of the Toyota was identified as Timothy Mankin, 50, of Fort Myers. Mankin, who owns the BurgerQuE restaurant in Fort Myers, was pronounced dead at the scene. His passengers have been identified as 29-year-old Brittney Triglia and 63-year-old Maria Triglia. They were both taken to a hospital, where they died. KHOU in Houston reported that Brittney Triglia was pregnant and medical staff worked to deliver and save her baby, but the baby did not survive.

The driver of the semi-truck was uninjured.

No further details on the crash have been made available.

The manager at BurgerQuE told WINK News on Wednesday that the restaurant will close permanently on Dec. 23.

Trust WINK News for updates.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.