ZAVALA COUNTY, Texas – Five people died after a multi-vehicle accident in Zavala County due to icy road conditions, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The accident happened around 12:45 a.m. Tuesday on the Nueces River Bridge along U.S. Highway 57, east of La Pryor, Texas.
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DPS told KSAT that a Ford van towing a trailer was approaching the bridge while traveling east on the highway.
A second Ford van towing a trailer lost control and collided with the first van from behind, according to authorities.
DPS said a Ford F-150 pickup truck stopped on the Nueces River Bridge because of the accident between the two vans.
Multiple passengers from the vans attempted to signal the driver of a Freightliner tractor truck to stop due to ice on the bridge, DPS stated.
However, authorities said the Freightliner tractor-truck driver crashed into all three vehicles.
Three people inside one of the Ford vans — identified as 63-year-old Pedro Urquiza, 60-year-old Estanislao Jaimes and 43-year-old Diana Lopez — were pronounced dead on the scene, DPS said.
The driver of the Ford pickup truck, 48-year-old Jose Artemio Rodriguez, was also pronounced dead after he was found at the bottom of the bridge, according to authorities.
DPS said the driver of the other Ford van, identified as 60-year-old Maria Pineda, died from injuries inflicted after the crash with the Freightliner tractor truck.
Seven other passengers were transported to a hospital for further treatment.
