CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Two are dead after an accident late Tuesday that occurred about 17 miles south of Sarita in Kenedy County on U.S. Highway 77.
DPS spokesman Sgt. Nathan Brandley said the accident occurred at about 10:20 p.m. Tuesday.
Preliminary investigation reveals that a truck tractor with one occupant was traveling south on US 77. A Chevrolet Tahoe with a driver and passenger was towing a utility trailer that was parked on the shoulder of the road after running out of gas.
The driver of the truck tractor veered off the roadway and rammed into the parked Tahoe, causing the driver of the parked car to be ejected.
The truck tractor then overturned and skidded off the roadway causing the vehicle to catch fire with the driver trapped inside.
The driver of the Tahoe, 48-year-old Fernando Benavidez Jr. of West Chester, Pa., was pronounced dead at the scene.
The passenger with Benavidez in the Tahoe was transported to Spohn Kleberg Hospital in Kingsville.
The identity of the truck tractor is unknown at this time.
DPS troopers are continuing their investigation.
