Flash storm results in highway crashes

An estimated two inches of rain were deposited on parts of La Salle County shortly after 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 8, when a fast-moving storm swept the region with winds as high as 70 miles per hour.

The incident was signaled in Cotulla by the city’s emergency siren, advising the public to take cover immediately.

Emergency responders were dispatched to IH-35 after at least five traffic crashes occurred in a 45-minute period. Among them was the wreck of an 18-wheel freight truck that was knocked onto its side in the southbound lanes of the interstate near Milemarker 64. The La Salle County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that the vehicle had been traveling empty and that its driver told responders that he had felt the truck’s lightweight box trailer being pushed sideways by the wind shortly before the rig overturned.

The driver was trapped in his cab for several minutes until sheriff’s deputies and members of the La Salle Fire Rescue succeeded in extracting him. He was not listed as having suffered serious injury.

The sheriff’s office has indicated that there were no serious or life-threatening injuries resulting from any of the traffic crashes on the interstate but noted that motorists traveling at unsafe speeds in deteriorating weather conditions were likely contributing factors in all cases.

“The sheriff’s office and the Texas Highway Patrol responded to several incidents in a short amount of time when the storm struck,” Sheriff’s Investigator Homar Olivarez said of Thursday night’s flash storm. “Speed is usually a contributing factor, even if motorists are traveling at or below the posted speed limit.

“It’s been observed that some drivers continue at the posted speed limit despite the general recommendation to slow down at least 25 miles below the limit in adverse weather conditions,” Olivarez said this week. “In this case, when high winds and heavy rainfall occur, travelers are likely to have limited visibility and impaired braking distances. Furthermore, vehicle condition may seriously affect your ability to stop. Poor tire tread and worn-out brakes are potential hazards.

Traffic may be slowed or stopped ahead, in bad weather,” the investigator said, “and impaired visibility in heavy rain will make it harder to see other vehicles’ brake lights. High winds have also affected traffic, particularly as we have seen with freight trucks being pushed out of their lane of traffic or knocked over. We advise exercising extreme caution in these weather conditions.”

A city council meeting that was beginning at the same time as the storm approached was abruptly canceled and the building evacuated on a recommendation by La Salle County Sheriff Hector Ramirez, Chief Deputy Armando Romo and Mayor Sandra Luna.

Councilors voted on their way out of the building to postpone their meeting to this week.