A two-vehicle crash around 8 a.m. Monday is being attributed to a tire blowout on an 18-wheeler that caused the driver to lose control of his rig.
According to DPS Trooper Nathaniel Godfrey, Robert Black, 46, of Liberty, was driving an 18-wheeler that was pulling a trailer westbound on US 90 just west of FM 770 in Raywood.
“He said a tire blew out, which caused him to veer into the oncoming lane, where he struck an eastbound white van on the left front quarter panel. That caused both vehicles to go into the southside ditch,” Godfrey said.
The driver of the van, Alex Hall, 48, of Houston, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported by ground ambulance to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont. Black was not injured, Godfrey said.
Liberty County Hazmat was called to the scene to help clean up the fuel spill. The van was owned by a paper-shredding company. The accident caused papers to be spilled onto the roadway. The fuel spill, paper cleanup and removal of the wrecked vehicles caused US 90 to be closed until 2 p.m. Monday.