Head-On Auto Collision on Highway 57 kills one person

By: Jose G. Landa

A two automobile head-on collision on Highway 57 on Sunday, December 23, 2012, at approximately 8:30 a.m., in Maverick County, Texas, near Eagle Pass, left one person dead from the injuries sustained as a result of the accident.

Poteet, Texas resident Antonio Ortiz, age 79, died at the scene of the accident from severe trauma and injuries sustained from the brutal head-on vehicle collision.

The Maverick County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety are investigating the fatal automobile accident.

According to preliminary reports, Ortiz was driving his automobile on Highway 57 traveling west towards Eagle Pass and invaded the opposite lane of travel causing a head-on collision with another automobile traveling east on Highway 57 towards La Pryor, Texas. The names of the other driver and persons hurt in the accident were unavailable as of press time.

Since the opening of the Eagle Pass Ford Shale oil and gas play there has been a significant increase of fatal accidents both in Maverick County and southwest Texas highways.

Maverick County Sheriff Tomas S. Herrera advises drivers to observe and obey all traffic and highway signs and laws, buckle up, don’t drink and drive, don’t drive and text, drive the posted speed limits, drive defensively, and give oneself plenty of time to travel during the busy holiday season.