Shortly after 9:00pm Sunday evening, Brown County law enforcement, state troopers and emergency personnel responded to a three vehicle crash approximately 3/4 of a mile south of Early, TX at the intersection of S Hwy 183 and Briarcrest Dr.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety Senior Trooper Sparky Dean, a 2007 Ford pickup truck was in the southbound lane preparing to turn. As a second vehicle, a 2006 Ford pickup was approaching in the northbound lane, the first vehicle which was driven by 77-year-old Jose Cuellar of Brownwood began to turn. To avoid a head on collision, the driver of the second vehicle, 44-year-old Clayton Watson of Brownwood, turned into the bar ditch, having the back of his truck struck by the oncoming first vehicle.
A third vehicle a 1997 Ford Crown Victoria, driven by 44-year-old Arnoldo Arrendondo of Goldthwaite, was also heading northbound and following behind Watson (the second vehicle), slid into the truck driven by Cuellar which was still in the roadway. A 6-month-old male passenger of Arrendondo’s vehicle was airlifted to Cook’s Childrens Hospital in Fort Worth and a female passenger of the same vehicle was taken by ambulance to Brownwood Regional Medical Center.
Cuellar suffered head trauma and was taken to Brownwood Regional Medical Center.
One of the patients taken to BRMC was later airlifted for further treatments. The investigation is ongoing and some details have not been released.
Troopers Sherrod of DPS is the investigating officer and was assisted by Trooper Martin Molotsky. Several Brown County Sheriff’s Deputies along with Zephyr Volunteer Fire Department assisted in traffic control. Traffic backed up for miles, as Zephyr VFD began diverting northbound traffic to FM 1467 toward Blanket.
As of Monday afternoon, there were no fatalities reported and the investigation of the accident is ongoing.
