94-Year–Old Man Killed in a Crash Near Mereta

SAN ANGELO, TX – A man in his 90s was killed Monday morning after a crash involving two brand new vehicles near Mereta in eastern Tom Green County.

According to a crash report released from the Texas Department of Public Safety, on Aug. 16 at around 6:40 a.m., troopers with the DPS and deputies with the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the intersection of FM 388 and FM 1692 for the report of a major crash.

When they arrived, law enforcement found a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander and a 2021 Ford F-250 that had crashed in the roadway. 

The driver and passenger of the truck were checked out by medics but did not go to the hospital. As for the Outlander, the driver 94-year-old Patricio Valdez of Alvarado was pronounced dead at scene by Justice of the Peace Fred Buck. The driver was wearing his seatbelt.

The passenger of the Outlander, 75-year-old Irenia Martinez, of Alvarado, was transported to Shannon with incapacitating injuries. She was wearing her seatbelt.

Troopers have determined during their preliminary investigation that the Outlander was traveling eastbound on FM 388 while the F-250 was traveling southbound on FM 1692.

The driver of Outlander disregarded the stop sign at the intersection of FM 388 and FM 1692 and entered the intersection. The truck struck the Outlander on the driver side.

At the time of the crash the weather was clear and the road conditions were dry.