DPS Releases Preliminary Report on Two-Fatality Crash on U.S. 67 Near Mertzon

The Texas Department of Public Safety released the preliminary crash report on the two-fatality crash on U.S. 67, 10.2 miles northeast of Mertzon. The crash occured at 7:48 p.m. Saturday. The DPS investigating officer was Trooper Jessica Springer.

According to DPS, a black 2008 Honda Civic driven by Richard Michael Garcia III, 20, from San Angelo, with passenger Stacci Rai Norton, 21, San Angelo, were traveling northeast-bound with a second 2008 Honda passenger car right behind them. In the second Honda car, Stephen Tyler Wadsworth, 21, San Angelo, was driving. His passenger was Emily McKenna Word, 22, San Angelo. Both Hondas were trailing a tractor-trailer sand truck. Driving that sand truck was Gary Dudley Lewis, 58, of San Angelo.

The black Civic driven by Garcia drove off the right side of the roadway before coming back onto the roadway and striking Lewis' 2009 Peterbilt Truck Tractor pulling a Semi-Trailer in the rear.

The impact caused Garcia’s black Civic to careen out-of-control, crossing over into the oncoming lane of traffic. The second Honda drove into the oncoming lane of traffic also to avoid the crash between the black Civic and the Peterbilt.

Traveling towards Mertzon, and the Hondas, at about that same time was Jeffrey Alan Bell, 60, of Lawrence, Mississippi. He was driving another sand truck, a 2003 Kenworth truck tractor pulling a semi-trailer.

The black Honda Civic missed a collision with Bell’s semi, but the trailing Honda hit the semi practically head-on and was crushed. On the ground, you can see skid marks from Bell’s semi indicating that he attempted to take evasive action. Bell’s Kenworth and trailer ran off the northwest side of the highway, through the barrow ditch, coming to a rest with the second Honda practically underneath the front of the trailer. The DPS reports that the second Honda car struck Bell’s sand truck.

The black Honda Civic driven by Garcia also came to a rest, after traversing the barrow ditch, and ramming through a fence line on the northwest side of U.S. 67. The black Civic did not come in contact with the oncoming sand truck.

Irion County Justice of the Peace Donna Smith pronounced the two occupants of the second Honda dead on the scene. They were, again, Stephen Tyler Wadsworth, 21, the driver and his passenger, Emily McKenna Word, 22. Both were from San Angelo.

Jeffery Bell, the driver of the oncoming semi was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The passenger of the black Civic, Stacci Norton, was also transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

Garcia was charged with two counts of criminal negligent homicide, DWI, Racing on a highway causing serious bodily injury, and accident causing injury.

Witnesses at the scene said that the two Hondas were racing northeast-bound on U.S. 67, passing each other and motorists on the right-hand shoulder. The occupants of the Hondas were at “a party in Sherwood” before the crash took place, said a witness.