BONHAM, TX (07/10/2016) — A blown tire on a fire truck caused an accident on Sunday which killed two people and left another injured.
According to officials, 69-year-old Jose Chavez and his passenger Ana Chavez (both of Reno, Texas) have died following a two-vehicle collision that occurred on Highway 82 near FM 121 in Fannin County, Texas.
Authorities reported that at around 4:30 p.m., 22-year-old Christopher Nelson was traveling eastbound in a fire truck when the front-left tire blew out, causing Nelson to lose control of the fire truck and veer into westbound lanes of traffic. Chavez was heading westbound and veered off the road in an attempt to avoid the oncoming truck, but both vehicles collided in the ditch.
Both Jose Chavez and Ana Chavez were pronounced deceased at the scene of the crash. One passenger in the fire truck sustained injuries and was transported to Texoma Medical Center for treatment.
Commentary
According to DPS Trooper Mark Tackett, the driver of the fire truck “had just driven down and bought the truck, and they were driving it back to Arkansas to get it ready for use. It wasn’t a local fire truck; it wasn’t in service.”
Sometimes accidents involving fire trucks leave victims with no opportunity to file a personal injury and/or wrongful death claim due to governmental immunity, but as the fire truck in this case was not responding to an emergency, the family may still have options under the Texas Tort Claims Act (although the time limits to filing a TTLA claim are significantly shorter than a normal personal injury case).
This accident currently remains under investigation, but we will provide additional information as it becomes available. If you have information regarding this crash, please leave a comment below.
