Victims ID’d in fatal I-10 crash

Published 10:42 am Thursday, April 18, 2019

Staff report

A Houston man was killed and a Port Arthur man sustained extensive burns in a two-vehicle collision Wednesday afternoon on Interstate 10 in Orange County.

The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the deceased man as Tony Alvarez, 58, of Houston. He had been transported from the wreck scene to St. Elizabeth’s in Beaumont, but was pronounced dead there due to his injuries.

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Leon David May II, 43, of Port Arthur was transported to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston with extensive injuries and burns, DPS said in an issued statement Thursday. He remained hospitalized Thursday morning. DPS said the crash occurred near mile marker 858 around 4:30 p.m.

Preliminary reports by DPS indicated that a dump truck was traveling westbound on Interstate 10 when, for an unknown reason, the driver drifted into another lane, striking a Ford flatbed truck. After colliding with the Ford, the dump truck struck the concrete wall, rolled onto its side and was engulfed in flames.
Troopers said May was the driver of the dump truck; Alverez was the driver of the flatbed.

Investigators were investigating late Wednesday whether a tire blowout on the dump truck was a contributing factor to the wreck.

DPS reported Wednesday night that all westbound traffic lanes of Interstate 10 remained closed for nine hours as Hazmat crews work to remove debris from the roadway. Traffic was diverted onto the service road before the interstate reopened at 1:30 a.m.