Local reacts to the fatal 18-wheeler crash in Brenham

BRENHAM, Texas (KBTX) – After a stolen 18-wheeler crashed into the Brenham DPS Office, locals are left shocked.

KBTX traveled back to Brenham a day after the fatal incident and visited the scene. One can see damage from the outside, bent steel, and a fence is now up. The scene was boarded up Friday around 7 p.m. after the 18-wheeler was removed from the scene.

One person was killed and 13 others hurt after officials say 42-year-old Clenard Parker rammed the stolen 18-wheeler into the same DPS office where he was refused a Commercial Drivers License the day before.

Brenham DPS building after fatal incident

Jennifer Hermann is the owner of Hermann Furniture store in Brenham Texas.

“We’re the oldest family-owned and operated furniture store in the state of Texas. We’ve been here since 1876 and I’m the fifth generation to run the store,” said Hermann.

Hermann says she has lived here her whole life and has never seen anything like the 18-wheeler charging into the DPS office building.

“I mean it’s just horrible. I mean that someone had to lose their life because someone didn’t pass their driving test and so it just doesn’t seem to make sense,” said Hermann.

She says it’s a tragedy that will shake the town of Brenham forever.

“It’s a great town, it’s got wonderful people that care about the community and each other. It’s a great place to live and normally you don’t have things like that happening here, so it’s quite a tragedy when it does,” said Hermann. “It’s just unfortunate that innocent people’s lives were taken, injured, and just families not knowing and it’s sad to have it happen here in our town.”

Hermann says despite the devastation she knows the community will come together.

“I’m sure those families are being taken care of by their churches and different things like that so I know the community is reaching out to them I’m sure individually,” said Hermann.

KBTX spoke with other locals in downtown Brenham who told me an accident like this was shocking and it will be something they’ll never forget.

We spoke with the Mayor of Brenham, the Brenham Public Information Officer and DPS for possible updates on victims. We were told there is no information available at this time.