According to a Texas Department of Public Safety report, a five vehicle traffic accident resulted in one fatality and nine injured on Wednesday night.
The five-car accident occurred on Interstate Highway 20 in Stanton at 9:01 p.m. Wednesday. According to the report, a 2012 Kenworth Truck-tractor towing a semi-trailer, driven by Jose A. Saenz, 37 year old of Odessa, was traveling west on Interstate Highway 20 in congested traffic. The traffic had come to a stop and the tractor trailer failed to control its speed and struck the rear of a 2019 Volvo Truck tractor towing a semi-trailer, driven by Jaafar S. Eskander, 26 year old male of Riverdale, MD, which in turn created a chain of reactions of collisions. The tractor trailer driven by Eskander was pushed into a 2020 Isuzo box truck, driven by Jorge Torres, 21 year old male of Odessa. The tractor trailer driven by Eskander also struck a 2016 GMC Sierra towing a utility trailer, driven by Marco A. Varela-Martinez, 35 year old male of Garland, Texas. The box truck driven by Torres was also pushed into a 2020 freightliner truck tractor towing a semi trailer, driven by Tony M. Stewart, 51 year old male of Dallas.
Saenz was pronounced at the scene by J.P. Jarrell Hedrick. He was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. The driver of the 2019 Volvo tractor trailer received only non-incapacitating injuries and was transported to Martin County Hospital, along with his passenger Saleem E. Shafeea, 54 year old male of Riverdale, MD.
Torres received incapacitating injuries and was transported to University Medical Center in Lubbock, and his passenger, Aldo Torres, 19 year old male, of Odessa was not injured and was wearing a seatbelt at the time of collision; another passenger, Justin T. Alvarado, 28 year old male of Odessa, was wearing a seatbelt at the time of impact and was also transported to UMC in Lubbock for incapacitating injuries.
Varela-Martinez along with four passengers were wearing seatbelts at the time of impact and were transported to Martin County Hospital for non incapacitating injuries.
Stewart, was wearing a seatbelt at the time of impact and was not injured.
At the time of the accident the weather was clear and roadways were dry.
