The names of the victims in a deadly accident along Business 20 west of Barstow was released today as 37-year-old Horatio Acosta-Ramirez of El Paso and 55-year-old Rene Cruz of Odessa.
The accident occurred on Monday, February 10. The Texas Department of Transportation was called to the scene around 7:27 a.m.
Upon arrival, the troopers found a crash scene that involved a 2019 Nissan Titan and a 2017 Ford F-250.
Preliminary reports indicate that Acosta-Ramirez and his passenger, Cruz, were driving west on Business 20 and the Ford F-250 was traveling east.
The driver of the F-250, 22-year-old Matthew McKenzie, began to fall asleep and the truck crossed the center line. The F-250 ended up colliding head-on with the Titan.
Both Acosta-Ramirez and Cruz were pronounced dead at the scene due to the injuries they sustained in the collision.
The speed of the trucks at the time of impact has not yet been released.
McKenzie had three other passengers in his truck at the time of the accident. They were assessed at the scene as having minor injuries and were transported to an area hospital for treatment.
The report also stated that all six of the people involved in the accident were wearing seatbelts.
The investigation into the details of the collision is still ongoing. At this time, it does not appear that charges have been brought forth against McKenzie. That is liable to chance one the investigation is done. He may be facing both charges and traffic citations due to the accident.
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