Two drivers are dead and a passenger has been hospitalized after a two-vehicle crash Tuesday night near the Willacy and Kenedy County line.

The crash happened at about 10:30 p.m. on Highway 77 south of Sarita in Kenedy County.

Preliminary investigation showed that a Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Fernando Benavidez Jr., 48, was parked on the shoulder to tow a trailer that had run out of gas. It was struck by truck tractor, ejecting Benavidez Jr. from his vehicle, according to Sgt. Nathan Brandley of the Texas Department of Public Safety.  

“The truck tractor overturned and skidded off the roadway causing the vehicle to catch fire and became fully engulfed in flames, trapping the driver inside,” Brandley said in a news release.

The driver of the truck tractor remains unidentified. An unidentified passenger with Benavidez Jr was taken to a Kingsville hospital to be treated for injuries. 

The crash remains under investigation. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated Wednesday, Aug. 18 at 6:30 p.m. with new information on the crash and the identity of one of the victims.