16-0919
NONE HURT IN IH-35 CRASH
By Marc Robertson
A family of three emerged unscathed from a damaged van after it was struck by an 18-wheel freight truck on IH-35 near Gardendale on Sunday evening, September 18, according to investigating officers.
The family’s cat, which had been riding in the Dodge Caravan with its owners, was likewise unhurt, although the vehicle had veered off the interstate and collided with the highway’s center median cable barrier and become entangled there, the officers said.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the crash site near Milemarker 74 in Gardendale at around 9 p.m. Sunday and arrived to find that the Kerrville residents had not been seriously injured. The family retrieved the cat from the van and was given a courtesy ride by the sheriff’s office to Dilley.
The case was handled by La Salle County Deputy Michael Hernandez, assisted by Deputies Jose Avila, Alfred Gonzalez and Juan Mirelez. Also present to assist at the crash site and to offer medical aid if needed were medics and firefighters from the La Salle County Fire & Rescue.
Deputy Gonzalez noted that an investigation into the possible cause of the crash indicated that the Dodge had been struck in its rear driver-side quarter by the tractor unit of an 18-wheel freight truck.
“The family reported that the eighteen-wheeler had hit the van just north of the Gardendale bridge,” Deputy Gonzalez said. “The van had been traveling in the right-hand lane of the interstate, traveling north, but when it was hit, the driver was unable to maintain control of his steering, and the van veered off to the left.”
The deputy said that the cable barrier appeared to have been effective in stopping the van from crossing the highway’s center median.
“The van was not badly damaged, but it was tangled in the cables and was going to need towing,” Gonzalez said. “We then approached the driver of the freight truck, who had not been hurt. He had stopped his truck on the highway shoulder a short distance away.”
No charges have been filed in the case to date. The damaged van was removed by the Munoz wrecker service of Cotulla; the freight truck had sustained little damage and was driven from the scene.
“Handling the accident investigation on that stretch of interstate was challenging,” Deputy Gonzalez said. “It was close to the construction site at the Gardendale bridge, and although most drivers observed the emergency lights, some didn’t. This means that there were occasions during the response that traffic was moving past us at highway speeds.
“It’s important for everyone’s safety that drivers pay attention to emergency lights, slow down and change lanes,” the deputy said. “This isn’t just about officers’ and emergency responders’ safety. This is about the safety of the travelers who were stranded.”