One man was killed in the trailing vehicle of a farm implement convoy when a 2005 Freightliner truck tractor pulling a semi-trailer plowed into his vehicle from behind.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Lenial Wyatt Stapp, 40, was driving his Freightliner northbound on East Loop 306 in the outside lane just after 6 p.m. yesterday. In front of him was a slow-moving convoy of a few farm implement vehicles, including a John Deere tractor towing a cotton module builder. The last vehicle in the convoy, a 2001 Ford F-150 pickup, was driven by 21-year-old Cesar Zea-Gomez of Mereta. DPS did not report this, but other drivers in the farm convoy Tuesday night said that Gomez’s truck was the “follow-me” truck, traveling behind the convoy to alert faster traffic coming from behind.
When the Freightliner struck the right rear of the Ford pickup, it caused the Ford veer off the road and into the east ditch of Loop 306, coming to rest upright facing north. The pickup caught fire and was completely burned as a result of the crash. Zea-Gomez was unable to escape the pickup before fire engulfed it. He was pronounced dead by Judge Kay Longest.
After striking the Ford, the Freightliner continued forward and struck the right rear of the cotton module builder being towed by the John Deere tractor. The tractor and cotton module builder spun counterclockwise, approximately 180 degrees, causing it to jackknife before both tractor and module builder came to rest on the outside northbound lane facing south.
The Freightliner then traveled into the east barrow ditch and came to rest upright facing north. After coming to a rest, and after the driver escaped the truck’s cab, the truck tractor and the van semi-trailer caught fire and burned for hours as a result of the crash.
The official sunset time on Tuesday was 5:39 p.m. The crash happened within 30 minutes after sunset, during which, at 6:05 p.m. the call to 911 was initiated. DPS reports that the weather was cloudy and dry.
The tractor driver was not injured seriously, DPS said. His name was Viveros Herrera, 33, of San Benito.
Both the tractor driver and the driver of the Freightliner were transported to Shannon to get checked out.
Immediately after the fiery crash, a 2014 Cadillac CTS driven by Geraldine Mohler Speck ran into the back of the jackknifed module builder. She was not injured.
The crash happened on East Loop 306 approximately 0.2 miles north of the FM 765 crossing.
DPS said the investigation is continuing and did not indicate if there were any citations.
DPS Trooper Jessica Springer is the investigator.
For more pictures and coverage of last night's crash, see this page.
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