96-Year-Old Among Those Killed in Head on Crash

ABILENE – A head-on crash claimed the lives of two Abilene residents on Wednesday, May 4, 2022.

According to the Abilene Police Department, officers with the APD received several calls just after 9 p.m. saying a vehicle was traveling south on Highway 83/84 in the wrong lane near Kirby Lake.

Witnesses say several vehicles had to evade the wrong-way driver by moving out of its way as it came at a high rate of speed. The driver ended up colliding head-on with a second vehicle, killing both drivers.

Next of Kin notification has been made. The driver of the 2011 Buick sedan, who was driving in the wrong direction, is identified as 96-year-old James Henry Wheeler of Abilene.

The driver of the second vehicle, a 2020 Ford SUV, is identified as 35-year-old Roxanne Rivero Medina, also of Abilene. Both drivers were pronounced deceased at the scene by Judge Mike McAuliffe. There were no other occupants in either vehicle.