TYLER, Texas (KETK)- Since Friday, there have been eight fatalities in East Texas due to car crashes.

“Just in the East Texas area alone we’ve had numerous crashes,” said Sgt. Adam Albritton, Texas Department of Public Safety. 

It’s been a recent trend around numerous East Texas communities and Albritton said it’s alarming.  

“There’s various factors that go into that,” added Albritton. “Speed is one of them. Another one that we see a lot is not wearing your seatbelt.”  

Two of the more high-profile cases recently involved high school students. A Lufkin baseball player was killed near Nacogdoches Friday afternoon and on Sunday morning, three people were killed and three more were taken to the hospital after a car struck a tree just six miles west of Tyler.  

The Sunday wreck involved two Palestine High School students and Albritton provided an update on what he knows.  

“Troopers are still investigating that to find out what caused that,” he said. “ But there was definitely occupants in that vehicle that were not wearing their seatbelt and it could have been a different outcome.”  

He said first responders have been overwhelmed with all of the crashes.  

“Troopers have been inundated with crashes that have been coming up recently here in East Texas,” Albritton said.  

With two cases involving young victims, Albritton added it’s hard to witness. 

“When you go arrive on scene when there’s someone who has died in a crash, it’s tragic,” he said. “But when there’s kids involved, you know it makes it even worse.” 

Albritton also said parents should be concerned about this recent trend of young people in fatal wrecks and added it’s so important to educate your children on how to be safe out on the roads.