DPS: Illinois driver killed in head-on crash on SL 335 near Amarillo
A person was killed when their vehicle crashed head-on into a semi in a fiery collision Thursday evening on the Loop near Amarillo.
On Thursday, Oct. 26 around 6:35 p.m., a 2023 Freightliner truck tractor towing a semi-trailer was traveling southbound on SL 335 south of East County Road 58 while a 1993 Ford Explorer was traveling northbound on the road, approximately one and a half miles south of Amarillo in Randall County, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a Friday update.
DPS said the SUV then veered over into the southbound lane and crashed head-on into the semi.
The semi, which was hauling tires, traveled into the west ditch, caught fire, and became fully engulfed. Both the truck tractor and semi-trailer burned to the ground. The semi's driver got out of the truck tractor before it caught fire and was not injured.
The SUV's driver, identified as Bernardo Rivera, 56, of Cicero, Illinois, was pronounced dead at the scene by Randall County Justice of the Peace Kyle Balke.
The posted speed limit was 75 mph, and road conditions were dry and clear at the time of the crash, which remains under investigation.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: DPS: 1 dead after SUV veered into path of semi on SL 335
