PETRONILA, Texas — A major crash shut down a portion of FM 665 between FM 892 and CR 69 in Petronila just after 9 a.m. this morning.
An 18-wheeler collided with a truck and then came to a rest near a house in the area. One person was rushed to the hospital, according to Sgt. Casarez with Texas DPS.
Nueces County ESD-2 Fire Chief, Weston Beseda said the driver of the 18-wheeler is uninjured.
"He was actually able to speak to us when we arrived to let us know what happened."
How the head-on collision occurred is still under investigation.
"We're not exactly sure what happened, but of course, you want to try to avoid any type of collision, and hope for the best. But you know, drive alert and always be prepared," Beseda said.
Due to the impact of the accident, the crash badly damaged the 18-wheeler's diesel tanks. Daniel Valdez Jr., battalion chief, for the Corpus Christi Fire Department said their crew responded in bunker suits for added HAZMAT protection.
"We were able to recover on our end about 50 gallons of diesel that we were able to pull out of the tanks so that it could be transported safely. And we're estimating possibly a little over 100 gallons were lost on the ground unfortunately."
Lone Star HAZMAT will take care of the rest of the cleanup.
"They'll be cleaning up any diesel that landed on the ground. They'll be digging, pulling that off the ground, as well as picking up any diesel fuel that left on scene that we had in pools and barrels," Valdez said.
Emergency crews tried to call in HALO-Flight, but foggy weather grounded the chopper. Director of operations for HALO-Flight, Michael Lopez, sent 3NEWS this statement.
“Maintaining safety is paramount to all operations at HALO-Flight. In addition to following strict regulations set forth by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), each HALO-Flight transport is individually assessed based on current and forecasted weather conditions, aircraft capabilities and crew experience, prior to acceptance. Based on a combination of the aforementioned factors, HALO-Flight is unable to accept missions that would jeopardize the safety of our flight crews or community,”
So far, officers have not released the identity of either driver. They have also not given an update on the condition of the pickup truck driver.
We have a crew on scene and will post updates here as they are received.
Avoid the area if at all possible.