A Denton man and his daughter were killed in a single-vehicle accident early Friday morning in Gray County.

Amaya Sheppard

Paul Andre Brown, 35, and his daughter Amaya Sheppard, 8, were killed when Brown lost control of his 1997 Ford Expedition on a curve, said Trooper Daniel Hawthorne, a Texas Department of Public Safety information officer for the Panhandle area.

Three other people were injured in the accident, he said.

Amaya’s 6-year-old sister, Taylar Sheppard, was among the injured, said Andrea Rogers, a family member.

The girls were going to spend the weekend with their father in his hometown of Pampa, she said.

The accident occurred around 2:30 a.m. about 24 miles east of Amarillo on the Interstate 40 West access road, near State Highway 70, Hawthorne said.

The vehicle left the road on the curve and rolled over, and four people were thrown out, he said. None of the five occupants were wearing seatbelts, the trooper said.

Taylar, along with Rhoda Meadows, 40, and Laray Wilson, 17, both of Pampa, are in stable condition at Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo, Hawthorne said.

Meadows sustained a head injury and Wilson received some minor injuries, he said.

Taylar received internal injuries, and Rogers said doctors are running tests.

Taylar has had a chance to talk to her mother, she added.

While losing Amaya is painful, the family is focused on getting to Taylar, she said.

The girls’ mother is Tasha Sheppard of Denton. A sister was leaving today to take Sheppard to Amarillo, Rogers said.

The family is handling the grief of losing Amaya “by the grace of God and the serenity that he gives us,” she said.

“She’s a very loving little girl, always wanting to help, hug you,” Rogers said of Amaya.

The girls attended Wilson Elementary School last year.

School district staff members and Interfaith Ministries contributed money to help the Sheppards get to Amarillo, said district spokeswoman Sharon Cox.

In addition, a memorial fund has been set up in Amaya’s name at Wells Fargo Bank, Cox said.

AMY DODD THOMPSON can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is athompson@dentonrc.com.