DPS: Border Patrol employee killed in two-vehicle crash in Hidalgo County
A Border Patrol Processing Coordinator was killed Friday night after a truck driving on the wrong side of the road crashed into their transport van, according to Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson Sgt. Maria Hernandez.
The crash occurred at around 8:46 p.m. on U.S. 281 Military Highway east of FM 493 in Hidalgo County.
Hernandez said preliminary investigation revealed a U.S. Border Patrol transport van, occupied by a male driver and a passenger identified as 21-year-old Jose Martin Rodriguez-Lua, a Brownsville resident, was traveling eastbound on U.S. 281 Military Highway east of FM 493.
A Ford-150, occupied by an unidentified male driver, was traveling on the wrong side of the road, not passing westbound on U.S. 281 Military Highway, and collided head-on with the transport van, according to Hernandez.
Hernandez said the Ford rolled over and became engulfed in flames.
The driver of the transport van was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries but was later released. Rodriguez-Lua died at the scene from his injuries, according to Hernandez. The driver of the Ford was burnt beyond recognition and died at the scene.
The crash remains under investigation.