Two Drivers Die in Head-On Collision East of Abilene

At 10:02 p.m. last night, two drivers died after a head-on collision 5 miles east of Abilene in Callahan County.

Texas DPS said 61-year-old Billy Darwin Kilpatrick of Abilene was traveling west on SH 36 in a 2009 Ford pickup, while 53-year-old Gary Lee Scruggs of Abilene traveled east on SH 36 in a 2005 Dodge pickup. Kilpatrick struck a guard rail on the north side of SH 36, then “glanced off” the guard rail, striking Scruggs’ pickup head on.

DPS stated both Kilpatrick and Scruggs were pronounced dead at the scene, and a passenger in the Ford, Gaila Angel Kilpatrick, 58, of Abilene, was transported to Hendrick Medical Center with serious incapacitating injuries.

DPS also stated that Billy Kilpatrick did not wear a seatbelt at the time of the crash, but both Gaila Kilpatrick and Scruggs did. Both Mr. Kilpatrick and Scruggs’ bodies were taken to Abilene Professional Services.

At the time of the crash, the weather was reported both clear and cloudy, and DPS described the road conditions as “wet.” The posted speed limit in the area is 75 miles per hour.