The head-on collision happened on the Dallas North Tollway in North Dallas, Texas, shortly after 2 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026. The crash occurred in the southbound lanes near the Royal Lane exit, a busy stretch of the tollway in the Dallas area with multiple lanes and frequent traffic even in early morning hours.
Michael Francis Cochlin, 38, drove a vehicle northbound in the southbound lanes of the tollway. He approached the area near Royal Lane from the wrong direction, creating a direct path for a collision with oncoming traffic. The high-speed setup in the tollway’s southbound section left little room for avoidance.
A Land Rover Velar traveling southbound in the proper lanes struck Cochlin’s vehicle head-on near Royal Lane. The force of the impact caused significant damage to both vehicles, with the Land Rover sustaining front-end destruction and the wrong-way car crumpling from the collision.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers arrived at the scene on the Dallas North Tollway near Royal Lane. They found Cochlin with critical injuries inside his vehicle. Paramedics transported him to a nearby hospital, where he later died from those injuries.
The Land Rover driver and a passenger were also injured in the crash. Both were taken to hospitals in serious condition following the head-on impact on the tollway. The tollway lanes remained closed for several hours during investigation and cleanup near the Royal Lane area.
DPS investigators continue examining the wrong-way incident on the Dallas North Tollway. They review factors such as speed, possible impairment, and how Cochlin entered the southbound lanes near Royal Lane. The crash highlights ongoing risks of wrong-way driving on major tollways in the Dallas area.