Copperas Cove lone survivor of deadly I-14 collision remains hospitalized

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

Autumn Lynch, 20, of Copperas Cove, is the sole survivor of a two-vehicle crash early Saturday morning on I-14 near the TJ Mills exit, that left two of her friends dead and a Fort Hood soldier dead as well.

Lynch was driving her 2013 Kia Optima westbound on the highway shortly before 2 a.m. when she encountered a 2017 Toyota Corolla driven the wrong way by Sgt. Matthew Fernandez.

Lynch, who graduated in January 2021 from Crossroads High School, suffered a broken arm, broken hip, and spinal fracture, according to her friend Ashley Ball. On Tuesday, Ball said that Lynch was having surgery to repair the arm fracture.

Yet Lynch, who according to Ball worked as a server at Applebee’s, will still have a long road to recovery even after her discharge. As of  Tuesday, she remains hospitalized.

A GoFundMe account has been opened for the young woman, which can be found at this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tragic-car-crash-survivor-autumn.

Ball said she started the fund for her friend, whom she called a “very down to earth, down for anything, there for anyone kind of person.”

A friend traveling behind Lynch on the highway stopped to render aid at the scene. Lynch’s passengers, Joshua Smith, age 22, also of Copperas Cove, and 20-year-old Aaliyah Marie Peinado, of Nipoma, California, were both riding unrestrained in the backseat of Lynch’s vehicle, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. They did not survive. Fernandez also died in the crash after his vehicle caught fire.

The crash investigation is still active and open, and the final crash report will not be available until 14 days after the incident. It is not known for what distance or how long Fernandez had been traveling the wrong way on the highway, but at least one eyewitness encountered Fernandez’ vehicle on I-14 prior to the deadly collision and called 9-1-1.

As of Tuesday morning, services for Smith had not yet been announced but he is under the care of Crawford Bowers Funeral Home in Copperas Cove.