Tragic Head-on Collision Claims Lives of Zapata First Responders in Hebbronville, Texas

HEBBRONVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — In a devastating incident, two Zapata first responders lost their lives in a head-on collision with an ambulance in Hebbronville, Texas, on Wednesday morning.

The Department of Public Safety received a distressing call at 5 a.m. on Wednesday, alerting them to a crash that had occurred on State Highway 16.

The vehicles involved in the tragic accident were a white 2016 GMC Sierra and a 2016 Chevrolet, which was being used as the Victorious Care Ambulance. The driver of the GMC Sierra was identified as 27-year-old Jaime Barrera Jr. from Roma.

The ambulance was driven by 66-year-old Andres Botello from Zapata, with 23-year-old Jose Guadalupe Cepeda Lara also from Zapata as his passenger.

Preliminary investigations conducted by the Department of Public Safety revealed that Barrera was traveling west, while the ambulance was heading east on State Highway 16.

According to the Department of Public Safety, Barrera failed to maintain his lane and veered into the eastbound lane, resulting in a catastrophic head-on collision with the ambulance.

The collision proved fatal for all three individuals involved, as they tragically lost their lives at the scene of the accident.