Ford Mustang Crashes, Torches, Trapping Young Woman Inside on Houston-Harte

At 9:30 p.m. Friday evening, a young woman was driving east in a late model red Ford Mustang GT 500 on the Houston-Harte Expressway approaching the Main St. overpass. She attempted to change lanes, according to San Angelo Police, and over-corrected returning to the eastbound direction. 

The over-correction sent the car out-of-control as it spun several times until hitting the metal boundary wire and posts protecting the eastbound lanes from the westbound lanes. According to witnesses at the scene, the car was already on fire after it spun out of control. The car came to a rest next to the boundary fence and pieces of red fiberglass and other debris from the Mustang flew into the westbound lanes of traffic.

Dispatch advised the San Angelo Fire Dept. Ladder 1 crew enroute that the driver was trapped in the car. Meanwhile, the driver was attempting to open any door and failed. Cool under fire, the woman rolled down the driver's window and was able to escape before the car was totally engulfed in flames.

Traffic on Houston-Harte eastbound was backed up for miles for more than an hour. Westbound traffic was diverted on to the service road.

The woman was not injured and she passed a field sobriety test. She was the only occupant of the vehicle. No other vehicles were involved.

San Angelo Police, San Angelo Fire Dept, and Texas DPS were on the scene.

Update 11:30 p.m.

Resident Ryan Gonzalez and a friend were the first to pull over and get to the car just after the crash. According to Ryan, "We witnessed it happen. I pulled up to the car as she rolled window down. And jumped out. We verified that no one else was in the car. And then the [Mustang] driver got in our truck and we moved away from the burning car until police came."