CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A man died after drifting into oncoming traffic in the westbound lane of State Hwy. 188 on Monday morning.
Texas Department of Public Safety Public Information Sgt. Harold "Rob" Mallory said Joaquin Puente was driving a 2001 Buick Century in the highway's eastbound lane at approximately 6:36 a.m. when his car began to drift into the oncoming lane.
Mallory said witnesses believe the 22-year-old Crystal City resident might have been falling asleep when he collided with a Ram truck driven by 71-year-old Charles Rodriguez of Sinton. Blanca Jones, a 53-year-old from Cary, North Carolina, also was in the vehicle.
Rodriguez's truck left the roadway and rolled over into the ditch, while Puente's car skidded to a stop in the eastbound lane of the highway.
Rodriguez and Jones were transported to the CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital-Shoreline in Corpus Christi with minor injuries.
Puente was pronounced deceased at 7:24 a.m.
The crash remains under investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
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