Suicidal woman guilty of attempted murder after driving into fuel tanker

A Florida woman who attempted to end her life by driving into a fuel tanker with her two young children in the car was found guilty of attempted murder.

The incident occurred on August 16, 2019, in Gainesville, Florida.

Police say that Melissa Gale Mack, 49, was traveling on US-441 with her four year old and six year old sons in her car when she switched from the northbound to the southbound lanes in an attempt to ram a gas tanker truck head on.

The tanker truck driver, Paul Dale Hackbarth, was able to take evasive action to avoid Mack’s vehicle.

However, after the failed attempt, police say that Mack doubled back and rammed the tanker from the rear. The collision caused Mack’s vehicle to catch fire and left all three occupants trapped inside.

Police say that two Good Samaritans were able to put out the fire and pull all three people in the crashed vehicle to safety.

No serious injuries were reported.

Last week, Mack faced Circuit Judge Mark Moseley. Following a 2-day trial, Moseley found Mack guilty of two counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of attempted second-degree murder.

A sentencing date has not yet been set.