Eagle Pass Man Burned in Head-On Auto Accident with a Tree

By: Miguel Munoz, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2018

Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber reported that a 29 year old Eagle Pass man, Vince Ibarra,  sustained serious burn injuries to his body as a result of an automobile head-on accident with a tree that caused the automobile burst into flames on Old Pioneer Road in southern Maverick County, Texas on Sunday, January 21, 2018.

Vince Ibarra was a passenger in a Dodge Neon automobile that struck head-on a tree and burst into flames.

A Good Samaritan, Jose Luis Gardea, age 24, passing by the scene of the accident stopped and rescued Vince Ibarra from the burning automobile. Sheriff Schmerber stated that had Jose Luis Gardea not stopped to rescue Vince Ibarra, Ibarra may have possibly died inside the burning vehicle.  Gardea also suffered burns to his arms and hands in the process of rescuing Ibarra from the burning vehicle.

In addition to Maverick County Sheriff’s Department Deputies at the scene of the accident, the Eagle Pass Fire Department EMS and Fire Fighters attended the accident victim and extinguished the raging automobile fire that happened after the accident.  Vince Ibarra was transported to the Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center Emergency Room for medical treatment of his burns. Subsequently, Ibarra was airlifted to a San Antonio, Texas medical facility for treatment of his burns.

The Preliminary investigation reports that the driver of the automobile was not found at the scene of the accident and believed to have fled, leaving the burned victim at the scene of the accident.

The Maverick County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the accident and are looking to identify the driver of the automobile that fled the scene of the accident.  Sheriff Schmerber anticipates identifying and charging the driver in the immediate future.