Fatality on I-10 Here Sunday

A vehicle fire on Interstate 10 Sunday led to a traffic pileup and one fatality.

Schulenburg Fire Chief Darren Guentert said his department got a call around 9:05 p.m. on July 13 reporting a vehicle on fire in the westbound side of Interstate 10 just west of the Schulenburg exit.

Upon arrival, Guentert said firefighters found a truck pulling a trailer completely engulfed in flames.

“We had one lane shut down to put the fire out, and traffic started backing up,” Guentert said.

Around 9:21 p.m., as they were fighting the fire, another call came in reporting a vehicle rollover about a half mile east of their location.

“There were four or five cars involved,” Guentert said. “One rolled over with two people pinned in.”

Firefighters were able to open a door of the rolled over vehicle and pulled out the two injured people. By that time, Fayette County EMS arrived. First responders called in a medical helicopter from PHI to transport one of the injured people in the rollover.

EMS transported the other patient from the rollover by ambulance. An injured patient from one of the other vehicles was also transported by ambulance, Guentert said.

DPS reported that one of the injured patients later died.

The wreck investigation and cleanup shut down both westbound lanes from approximately 9:21 p.m. until 1:15 a.m. Westbound traffic diverted off the interstate and through Schulenburg on Hwy. 90 during that time.

Guentert reported that his department responded with eight fire trucks and 21 personnel. Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating the crash. Schulenburg Police Department and Fayette County Sheriff’s Office also assisted at the scene.