75-year-old Amarillo man killed in Loop 335 head-on crash Wednesday

One person was killed and another injured in a head-on crash Wednesday that closed a section of Loop 335 in Randall County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

According to DPS, a 2005 Kenworth tractor/semi-trailer truck was southbound on SL 335 five miles east of Amarillo around 12:35 a.m. on Aug. 28, while a 2015 Ford F-150 was headed north.

For an unknown reason, the driver of the pickup veered into the southbound lane and struck the semi head-on, DPS said.

After the impact, the truck went into the ditch on the east side, overturned, caught fire and was completely engulfed, according to DPS. The semi came to a complete stop in an upright position blocking the northbound and southbound lanes and sustained significant front-end damage.

The driver of the pickup, identified as Cyrus Fields, 75, of Amarillo, was pronounced dead at the scene by Randall County Justice of the Peace Kyle Balke.

The driver of the semi, identified as Javier Castillo, 62, of Planview, was taken to Amarillo Northwest Texas Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

It was not known if either driver was wearing a seat belt due to the extent of the damage.

Police were still at the scene of the crash around 3:30 p.m

Earlier in the day, the Texas Department of Transportation Amarillo office issued a traffic advisory noting the closure of Loop 335 between 58th Avenue and Whitaker Road and urging drivers to avoid the area. The Randall County Sheriff’s Office also said it responded to the scene of a “major traffic accident” at Loop 335 and Farmers Avenue.

This is a developing story; more information will be added as it becomes available.

This article originally appeared on the Amarillo Globe-News: Semitrailer, pickup truck crash in southeast Amarillo, at least 1 dead