A 30-year-old man died in a crash March 4 after his pickup slid in the rain in Comanche County, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a media release.
Thomas Cruz Gonzalez of Dublin was pronounced dead at the scene, the DPS said in a media release Tuesday, March 10.
The crash happened at 7:31 p.m. March 4 on U.S. Highway 67 just west of County Road 4188, the DPS said.
Gonzalez was driving a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck west on the highway where the roadway was wet due to continuing rain, the DPS said.
A preliminary investigation showed the driver was going too fast for the slippery conditions, and he was not wearing a seatbelt, the DPS said. As the pickup entered a gentle righthand curve, its rear tires hydroplaned.
This caused the pickup to spin 180 degrees, crossed the oncoming lanes and skid onto the eastbound unimproved shoulder, the DPS said. The pickup overturned, ejecting the driver.
Trish Choate is the executive editor for the Abilene Reporter-News, San Angelo Standard-Times and Wichita Falls Times Record News. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@USATodayco.com. Read her recent work here.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Rain contributes to deadly crash in Comanche County
Reporting by Trish Choate, Abilene Reporter-News / Abilene Reporter-News
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