Major Collision in Rutersville

One local man suffered injuries and another went to jail following a wreck near Rutersville Saturday night, May 15.

The crash happened around 11:09 p.m. near the intersection of SH 159 and Forest Hills East Road, according to a report filed by Department of Public Safety Trooper Jose Perez.

The report stated that 22-year-old Lucas Emil Sodolak of Round Top was driving southbound on SH 159 in a green 2004 GMC Sierra pickup. A gray 1995 Ford F-350 pickup driven by 45-year-old Cooper Dalhart of Fayetteville was heading northbound on SH 159.

“(Sodolak) failed to navigate the curve in the roadway and traveled into the northbound lane,” Perez wrote in the report. “(Sodolak) was traveling on the wrong side of the roadway and not passing.”

The report said Sodolak then saw a vehicle in front of him and attempted evasive action to the right. The two vehicles collided in the northbound lane.

Both drivers were wearing seat belts. The air bags deployed in Dalhart’s pickup. Dalhart sustained injuries, and Fayette County EMS transported him to St. Mark’s Medical Center in La Grange. He was recovering as of Monday.

Perez’s report said Sodolak was intoxicated at the time of the crash. Perez arrested Sodolak for intoxication assault, a third degree felony. Both vehicles sustained major damage and had to be towed from the scene.