An Abilene man died when his Honda Accord’s tire blew, sending his vehicle into the path of an oncoming Peterbilt hauling a semi-trailer tanker full of milk.
According to the Texas DPS, Jose Jimenez, 33, of Abilene was southbound on U.S. 277 approximately four miles north of Bronte when his left front tire blew. That caused the Accord to veer into the northbound lane.
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Meanwhile, headed north was a 1995 Peterbilt and semi-trailer driven by Larry Lee Luedtke, 68, of Abilene. DPS said that Luedtke did not have enough time to maneuver his rig to miss the Accord. The Honda’s left front of the car struck the front left of the truck tractor. The truck veered off onto a barrow ditch and rolled on its side, spilling much of its cargo of milk.
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Jimenez was pronounced dead at the scene by Coke County Justice of the Peace Judge Coulter Grady. Luedtke, the trucker, was transported to Shannon Medical Center with incapacitating injuries.
Traffic was detoured off U.S. 277 north of Bronte for many hours while DPS, Coke County Sheriff’s Deputies, and volunteer firefighters cleared the crash scene.
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The crash was investigated by Trooper Robert Aldrete. Assisting him were Troopers Casey Smith, Dustin Mauldin, Jason Lujan-Luna, and Nick Sanders.
The crash happened at 8:25 a.m. Tuesday morning, Oct. 13. The roadways were dry and the skies clear.
DPS reported that Jimenez was not wearing a seatbelt.
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