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An 84-year-old Seguin man was killed by a vehicle that ran a red light at one end of Farm-to-Market Road 725, which was grounded for hours after a second crash blocked traffic for six hours on Monday.
New Braunfels police and firefighters first responded to a wreck involving a dump truck and pickup truck at the intersection of Farm-to-Market Road 725 and West Zipp Road, then responded to an accident involving three vehicles at the intersection of FM 725 and East Road from the county line.
David Ferguson, the city’s communications coordinator, said calls for the first crash began around 3:30 p.m.
“Officers arrived and found that the dump truck had collided with the side of the van, fatally injuring the driver of the van and tipping the van over to the driver’s side,” he said, adding Antonio Garcia Olvera, 84 years old. , of New Braunfels was pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Darrell Hunter of Guadalupe County 1.
Ferguson said the driver of the dump truck, a 62-year-old man from Seguin, was not injured.
‘Preliminary investigation indicates the dump truck was exiting FM 725 when it ran the red light on FM 725 and struck the driver’s side of the van, which was turning onto FM 725 from West Zipp Road,’ said Ferguson. “The investigation into this accident is ongoing and charges may be pending.”
This is the city’s third fatal accident this year. A 69-year-old New Braunfels man was killed Feb. 3 after his pickup truck drove the wrong way on State Highway 46, was cut in half after hitting a utility pole.
On January 27, a car driven by a 31-year-old Austin man failed to negotiate the bend in the I-35 south access road at the Business 35 intersection, ejecting and killing the driver.
Ferguson said the FM 725 and West Zipp Road area was closed for approximately 3.5 hours for the NBPD Traffic Unit’s investigation of the traffic fatality and subsequent cleanup. He said the road reopened around 7 p.m.
Reports of the second crash came in around 4:36 p.m., Ferguson said.
“We responded to a report of a vehicle that had struck a utility pole, with two other vehicles involved,” Ferguson said.
Photos from the crash scene included a black 2021 Nissan, a red 2018 Ford truck and a maroon 2012 Ford Fusion. The red F-150 hit and snapped a utility pole in half, but was still connected to its base; the Nissan was sideways in the middle of the street.
“Airbags deployed in at least one of the cars, which partially blocked traffic lanes,” Ferguson said. “New Braunfels Utilities was called in to shore up the overhead power lines, so that part of FM 725 remained closed for some time.”
Two people were transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, he said. Information on their ages, places of residence and medical conditions was not immediately available on Tuesday.
As the report had not been completed, the results of the preliminary investigation were also not available.
In the six hours involving the two wrecks, FM 725 traffic was diverted or diverted for hours – exit lanes on Klein Road and inbound lanes in an adjacent neighborhood. Police have urged vehicle drivers to drive carefully, slow down and expect delays on FM 725 in both directions, advising them to find alternative routes if possible.
Ferguson said FM 725 partially reopened near the scene of the second crash around 7:30 p.m., and fully reopened around 10:25 p.m.
