Updated: Driver falls asleep, causing three vehicle wreck as truck catches fire

Updated information:

The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating a three-vehicle crash on Wednesday morning ,April 3, on U.S. Highway 62 in Buna.

The preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 7:45 a.m., a 2019 Dodge Ram pickup was traveling north on U.S. Highway 62 approaching county road 784. A 2020 Freightliner towing a trailer was traveling south on Highway 62. The driver of the Dodge Ram fell asleep while driving and veered over into oncoming traffic and struck the Freightliner and along the side of truck and the trailer. The Dodge truck was engulfed in flames after striking the Freightliner. A third vehicle, a 2022 Dodge Challenger was also traveling south behind the Freightliner and ran over some debris which caused damage to that vehicle during the crash.

Jasper County Information Officer Karli Cherry said, "Yesterday, shortly after 8am, we received a call of a head on collision on HWY 62 near the baseball park. A dodge pickup collided with a utility truck carrying light poles.  The dodge truck then caught fire and the driver was pulled to safety by two passerby citizens. The driver of the dodge was then life flighted to St. Elizabeth and then transferred to Houston Trauma Center."

Cherry added, "There were no injuries to the utility truck driver that I am aware of. We responded and assisted first responders with stabilizing the driver of the pickup truck and worked traffic control." 

The driver was identified as 18-year-old Justin White Jr. from Call. White was transported to St. Elizabeth Christus Hospital in Beaumont with life-threatening-injuries. No other drivers were injured in the crash.This crash remains under investigation and there is no additional information at this time.