Texas has recently experienced several car accidents that killed and injured several people.
On Friday, December 30, 2022, a minivan crashed head-on into an SUV, which was then hit in the back by another vehicle. The minivan was traveling south on US Highway 59, trying to pass a vehicle in a no-passing zone.
According to Sgt. Guadalupe Casarez from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the crash happened around 6:20 p.m. near George West, about 60 miles or 100 kilometers northwest of Corpus Christi, and 54 miles northeast of MP-740 in Live Oak County. Casarez said the scene was “pretty drastic.”
“The crash involved a Chrysler Town and Country, which was traveling southwest on US-59, on a two-way unprotected median roadway,” the officials said.
Reports stated the three vehicles involved in the accident were a Chrysler Town minivan, a Chevrolet Suburban and a Nissan Altima sedan. The Chrysler was the one which attempted to go around a vehicle in a no-passing zone.
This led it to crash directly into a Chevrolet Suburban heading northeast on US-59. The Nissan Altima that traveled just behind the Chevrolet failed to avoid the two colliding vehicles and crashed into the Chevrolet from behind. Casarez said the vehicle the minivan attempted to pass was not caught in the crash.
According to the reports, two occupants were in the Chrysler Town minivan. The driver was identified as 39-year-old Xochitl Veronica Lopez from Houston. The passenger was a minor and their name has not been released. Both Lopez and the passenger were pronounced dead at the scene.
Meanwhile, the Chevrolet SUV was driven by Salvador Almeda Mendoza, 47. He had two passengers, one was identified as 58-year-old Ilda Briones Nieves and the other was Honorio Lazo Navarro, 74. All three victims were from Ganado, Texas, and died at the scene.
The crash also claimed the life of the Nissan sedan’s driver. The officials said they would release their identity once they find and inform the victim’s family.
The officials also said five other people were sustaining non-incapacitating injuries. They were all transported to Christus Spohn Hospital in Beeville, Texas.
The authorities are currently investigating the possible cause of the accident. Casarez said alcohol was unlikely the factor.
Three-vehicle crash involving police cruiser injures one
Elsewhere in Texas, the police are investigating a three-vehicle crash involving a police cruiser on Houston’s south side on Sunday.
Sgt. David Rose from Houston Police Department said the accident happened at around 11 p.m. on Sunday. An HPD officer was driving on Old Spanish Trail near Allegheny Street. He was on his way to the scene of a non-emergency call when a black Lexus crashed into the passenger side of his police cruiser. The crash’s impact pushed the officer’s vehicle into a red Dodge minivan that stopped at a stop sign. Police said there were four women inside the minivan at the time.
“The officer was en route to a call…it was not an emergency call. It appears the black vehicle may have failed to yield the right of way and may have been speeding,” Rose said.
Police records stated the Lexus driver suffered from minor injuries and was taken to the hospital while the officer was uninjured. As for the four Dodge van passengers, they had injury complaints, but they were not taken to the hospital.
According to the reports, the authorities are currently still investigating the crash. Rose said they were looking for surveillance video in the area and would review the footage from the officer’s body cam.
Teen from College Station killed in one-vehicle crash
Another road accident happened in Texas early Saturday. An 18-year-old teen was killed in a one-vehicle crash on Elmo Weedon Road in Bryan.
Reports from Texas DPS stated the crash happened at around 2:00 a.m. A 2010 Dodge Ram truck was traveling eastbound and went off the road through a barbed wire fence and crashed into a tree.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene and identified as Garrett Ingram from College Station. He was accompanied by one passenger whose name has not been released. They were taken to the hospital to have their injuries treated.