Quick Facts:
Where: The accident occurred on FM 1716 near Tatum in Rusk County, Texas.
What Happened: A tractor-trailer allegedly struck a pickup truck head-on while driving the wrong direction.
Participants:
- Jimmy Gaytan, driver of pickup truck
- Leonardo Ochoa, driver of tractor-trailer
Reported Injuries/Fatalities:
- Jimmy Gaytan, 39, killed
Details:
On or about Wednesday, December 1st, 2021, around 7:20 in the evening, a head-on collision between a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer claimed the life of a 39-year-old man. Troopers from the Department of Public Safety said the accident was reported along FM 1716 just outside Tatum in Rusk County, Texas.
Authorities from the area said 39-year-old Jimmy Gaytan was killed when the pickup truck he was driving was allegedly struck head-on by a tractor-trailer that was driving north in the southbound lanes of FM 1716. Emergency responders pronounced Gaytan dead of his injuries a short time after they arrived at the scene of the collision. Officials identified the driver of the tractor-trailer as 28-year-old Leonardo Ochoa, who was unhurt in the accident.
According to Google Maps, the scene of the accident is a short distance east of Tatum, which is roughly 142 miles southeast of downtown Dallas.
State and local agencies assisted after the accident.