Quick Facts:
Where: The accident occurred along Highway 96 in Jasper County, Texas.
What Happened: A tractor-trailer allegedly struck a car driving the wrong direction on the highway.
Participants:
- Matthew Alan Wheeler, driver of Toyota Yaris
- Jesus Alvarez, driver of tractor-trailer
- Passenger in tractor-trailer
Reported Injuries/Fatalities:
- Matthew Alan Wheeler, 36, killed
Details:
On or about Monday, August 23rd, 2021, just before midnight, an accident between a car and a tractor-trailer claimed the life of a 36-year-old Hemphill man. Troopers from the DPS said the accident occurred along Highway 96 in Jasper County, Texas.
Representatives from the Texas Department of Public Safety said 36-year-old Matthew Alan Wheeler was allegedly driving a Toyota Yaris southbound in the northbound lanes when it collided with a tractor-trailer head-on. Emergency responders pronounced Wheeler dead of his injuries at the scene of the accident. Police identified the driver of a tractor-trailer as Jesus Alvarez, who was unhurt in the accident along with his passenger.
According to Google Maps, Highway 96 runs north and south through Jasper County, with the scene of the accident situated between Kirbyville and Jasper.
Police are still investigating the incident.