A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was seriously injured and a Monahans man was killed Monday morning in a head-on collision on U.S. Highway 67 east of Alpine, according to state officials.
The crash occurred at approximately 7:36 a.m. June 23, about five miles east of Alpine in Brewster County.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, preliminary information indicates that a 2022 GMC Sierra traveling westbound crossed into the eastbound lane for unknown reasons and collided head-on with a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe patrol vehicle driven by DPS Trooper Zachary Vasquez, 26, of Alpine.
The driver of the GMC, identified as 28-year-old Erik Alberto Hernandez of Monahans, was wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Vasquez, who was also wearing a seat belt, sustained serious injuries and was flown by helicopter to University Medical Center in El Paso. DPS said he was listed in stable condition.
A DPS K-9 riding inside the patrol vehicle was not injured.
Both vehicles came to rest in the roadway following the collision. Weather conditions were reported as clear at the time of the crash.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and DPS has not released additional information.
