TxDOT Addresses Site of Deadly Wrecks

Texas Department of Transportation performed road work to US 77 last week near the site of two recent deadly wrecks south of Schulenburg.

“We are taking preventative measures in an effort to address the fatal crash and community concerns,” TxDOT spokesperson Cari Hensley said on Monday. Hensley said highway workers grooved and seal coated parts of the highway to add texture, which should provide some extra traction for vehicle tires.

On Jan. 17, 75-year-old Schulenburg resident Eugene Pauler died in a one vehicle accident about two miles south of Schulenburg, between North Vacek Loop and the Fayette-Lavaca county line. Then on March 11, three people died in a two vehicle accident within 50 yards of the spot where Pauler died. One of the victims was a 15-year-old from Alvin; the other two victims were a couple in their 60s from Inez.

According to crash reports from the Texas Department of Public Safety, both accidents involved vehicles hydroplaning and skidding off the roadway.