Two women were killed and a Spring man is facing charges from two unrelated crashes in the Raywood and Devers area in southeast Liberty County. The first of the two took place on Sunday, Nov. 27, at 7:39 p.m., about two miles east of Raywood on US 90.
According to Sgt. Rob Willoughby, the supervisor for the Liberty County office for the Texas Department of Public Safety, a 73-year-old Raywood woman, Phyllis Koontz Hill, was killed while she was attempting to turn off of US 90 onto FM 190. Her vehicle – a 2002 Ford Ranger pickup – was struck in the rear by a 2017 Dodge Ram that was traveling east on US 90.
The driver of the Ram pickup – Robert Darnell Price, 58 of Spring – has been charged with Intoxicated Manslaughter and Driving While Intoxicated as a result of the accident. He is being held in the Liberty County Jail on bonds totalling $252,500.
After the crash, Hill was flown to Kingwood Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
“Mr. Price was given field sobriety tests and showed signs of intoxication,” Willoughby said. He was arrested at the scene and taken for further testing.
On the evening of the following day, Monday, Nov. 28, the second crash happened around 11:18 p.m about two and a half miles east of Devers on US 90.
According to Willoughby, a 2017 Nissan Rogue driven by a 31-year-old Houston woman was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of travel on US 90. A 2018 Ford van driven by Eli Joseph Mendoza, 28, of Houston, was traveling in the westbound in the correct lanes of travel and was struck by the woman’s vehicle.
The woman, who caused the crash, died at the scene and was pronounced dead by Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Ronnie Davis. Her body was taken by Allison Funeral Home to Beaumont for autopsy.
Mendoza was transported to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont. His condition is unknown at this time.
From Liberty to Devers on Hwy90 you have one lane on each side of the road. It’s very dangerous driving that route because you have alot of DWI drivers, people driving to slow, to fast, and people passing several cars etc at a time . Be careful in Raywood by the stores on 90 in the morning because people will pull right out in front of you in that area in the morning. Once you,’re leaving Raywood headed towards Devers this is when people start passing big trucks and cars because alot of people drive 50 to 55 in an area where the speed limit is 65 mph. So many good people have lost there lives over the years driving on that stretch of 90.