A 59-year-old Buffalo resident died in Madison County on Friday morning when a boom lift fell out from a tractor-trailer and smashed into the victim’s vehicle, officials said.

Details of the Fatal Accident

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Dusniel Gonzalez, 33, of Miami, Florida, was travelling southbound on Interstate 45 in Madison County around 5:00 AM.

He was hauling large construction equipment which included a boom lift. Just 10 miles north of Madisonville, his tractor-trailer went off the road and smashed into a cable bar in the center median.

He tried to keep control of the vehicle, but it swerved across the road. The boom lift in his trailer fell out and into the path of oncoming southbound traffic. Marcus Harrison, a 59-year-old Buffalo resident, was driving behind Gonzalez in a Ford pickup when his vehicle collided with the boom lift.

Gonzalez survived without any serious injuries, but Harrison was pronounced dead at the scene an hour later. U.S. 45 was closed southbound temporarily for investigation and traffic was diverted to the access road, though the interstate is back open to motorists.

Gonzalez has not been charged with any crime, but the case remains under investigation.

Texas Car Crash Statistics

The following information was provided by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT):

• 3,531 people were killed in auto accidents in Texas in 2015, a slight decrease from the 3,536 deaths recorded in 2014.
• An additional 246,335 people were injured in auto accidents in 2015 with 17,011 people suffering an incapacitating injury.
• On average, a reportable crash occurred every 61 seconds in 2015.