REFUGIO COUNTY, TX (12/21/2016) — An 18-wheeler collision claimed the life of John Reyna and critically injured Sheldon Greenwood on Wednesday night.
According to authorities, 70-year-old John Peter Reyna (of Tivoli) was killed and 29-year-old Sheldon Greenwood (of Yoakum) was injured following an 18-wheeler accident on State Highway 239 (about 3.5 miles west of Trivoli) in Refugio County, Texas.
Sgt. Nathan Bradley, spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), reported that at around 7:30 p.m., the driver of an 18-wheeler was traveling westbound on the highway when he or she attempted to make a U-turn, blocking the eastbound lane.
An approaching eastbound 2010 GMC Canyon—driven by Reyna—collided with the big rig and became wedged underneath the trailer. Following the initial impact, a 2000 GMC Yukon—driven by Greenwood—also crashed into the wreckage before coming to rest in the ditch.
“The reason (the crash occurred) was the truck driver was trying to turn around to go from west to east,” Brandley said.
John Reyna did not survive the accident. Sheldon Greenwood was transported via air ambulance to Christus Spohn Hospital for treatment of critical injuries.
This accident remains under investigation.
Commentary
The DPS has not released the identity of the driver of the 18-wheeler, however, we suspect that he or she will likely face charges for this collision. We will provide updates as they become available.
To those affected by this crash, we offer our condolences.
