City Water Department Worker Hospitalized After San Angelo Motorist Crashes into Work Zone

A city water department worker was plowed down by a San Angelo motorist Wednesday morning on N. Chadbourne St.

According to the San Angelo Police, the City of San Angelo Water Department had blocked the outside, southbound lane of Chadbourne near the 13^th St. intersection so that workers could access a water main valve and shut off water before proceeding with repair work on E. 13^th St.

Police said at about the time workers were working on the valve, a driver of a black Chrysler 200 told them he was in the right lane southbound and was planning to change lanes to avoid the city truck marked with flashing overhead lights in front of the valve cover, and blocking the manhole cover where two workers were turning off the water main. As the Chrysler driver approached, he was boxed in by a car in the left lane. The driver told police he couldn’t change lanes or stop in time to miss slamming into the rear of the city’s Ford F-150.

The city’s F-150 lurched forward, hitting one of the workers, and barreled ahead approximately 50 yards before coming to a rest on the sidewalk on the west side of Chadbourne.

One city worker was hurt. Police described his injuries as non-life threatening. He was rushed to San Angelo Community Medical Center for treatment. At the scene, the worker was talking and complaining of back pain before being loaded into an ambulance.

The driver of the Chrysler 200, identified as Mario Fuentes, was charged with Failure to Control Speed. During the investigation, police discovered that Fuentes, 33, of San Angelo had three outstanding city warrants for miscellaneous Class C misdemeanors. He was booked into the Tom Green County Jail by the City Marshal.

The crash happened just before 10 a.m.