GILMER (TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH) — A Pittsburg man was killed and another
man suffered minor injuries when a sport utility vehicle collided with a
Brookshire's grocery tractor-trailer rig Thursday morning on
Farm-to-Market Road 2454, northwest of Gilmer.
The driver of the
2001 Chevrolet Suburban, identified as 27-year-old Benjamin Senon Ponse,
was pronounced dead at the scene by Upshur County Precinct 4 Justice of
the Peace W.V. Ray.
The driver of the 2011 Volvo tractor
trailer, Marcos Cornelio, 39, of Tyler, was treated for minor cuts and
bruises at the scene and released, the Texas Department of Public Safety
said.
The crash, which the DPS said occurred at 9:24 a.m.,
happened 6.5 miles northwest of Gilmer at the intersection of 2454 and
Toad Road. The site is about 1.5 miles north of the Union Hill School,
which is on Farm-to-Market Road 2088.
The northbound Suburban crossed into the lane
occupied by the southbound tractor-trailer, and the truck driver went
off the roadway's right side in attempting to avoid the crash,
investigating DPS Trooper Colby Hobbs said at the scene. The truck ended
up in a cluster of trees and barbed-wire fencing, straddling a
water-filled ditch and suffering front-end damage.
Troopers were
unsure what caused the nearly head-on collision, but Ponse may have
fallen asleep, Hobbs said. Both drivers were alone and wearing seat
belts, he said.
Ray said he pronounced Ponse dead at 10:15 a.m. The
front end of the gold-colored Suburban, which ended up facing south in
the middle of the two-lane roadway, was mangled.
Hobbs said he
didn't know whether the Brookshire's truck was loaded. Rebecca Sanders,
public relations director of the supermarket chain, told the Tyler
Morning Telegraph, "Out of respect for the families of those involved,
we have no comment regarding the details of this unfortunate accident."
Rain
began falling after the crash while troopers were still at the scene.
Gilmer and Bettie firefighters, along with the Texas Forest Service,
also responded to the accident
