BEAUMONT, Texas — One person has been killed and two injured following a wreck early Tuesday along westbound Interstate 10 just east of Vidor.
The fatal wreck shut down both the east and westbound lanes of I-10 near Doty Road for nearly six hours according to The Texas Department of Public Safety.
The driver of a Dodge 3/4-ton pickup truck, towing a car hauler with three vehicles, told troopers he was headed west on Interstate 10 and had pulled over due to mechanical problems. The Dodge driver was partially in the left traffic lane around 5:50 a.m., according to a news release from the Texas Department of Public Safety. After the driver of the Dodge pickup had gotten out of his truck to work on a mechanical issue on the trailer, a westbound Chevrolet pickup struck the trailer, the release said. The Chevrolet pickup had a total of three people inside.
The passenger in the front of the Chevrolet pickup, Jaylon Kurt Harrison, 21, of Broussard, Louisiana, was pronounced dead at the scene by Orange County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Rodney Price.
The driver of the Dodge pickup, 57-year-old Jose Soriano from Houston, was taken by ambulance to a Southeast Texas hospital with serious injuries, according to the release. The driver of the Chevrolet, 46-year-old Richard Thibeaux of Louisiana, was also taken to the hospital for treatment.
The rear seat passenger in the Chevrolet was not injured, according to DPS.
As Troopers continue to investigate the wreck both east and westbound traffic has been diverted to the service roads.