Man dies in fiery crash on Hwy. 183

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A man believed to be from Yoakum died late Friday night when the pickup he was driving collided head on with an 18-wheeler then burst into flames, trapping the man and closing U.S. Highway 183 for seven hours near FM 2067 (Cheapside Road).

The man, identified by sources in Yoakum and Victoria as Kenneth Gipson Pate, 48, was traveling southbound on Highway 183 about 11½ miles south of Gonzales when he crossed the center line, struck the northbound 18-wheeler and plunged into the southbound bar ditch about 11:15 p.m.

While Department of Public Safety officials Monday provided information about the crash, they specified that “the driver’s identity has not been confirmed.”

According to communications between first responders and a 9-1-1 dispatcher coordinating rescue efforts, Pate was trapped inside his Ford pickup following impact. Subsequent reports said the vehicle was leaking gasoline and that the vehicle caught fire. A Gonzales police sergeant at the scene confirmed that when he arrived at the scene, the pickup was fully engulfed in flames.

The 18-wheeler sustained extensive damage and blocked the northbound lane, closing the highway until the early-morning hours of Saturday. Emergency responder vehicles from Gonzales Police Department, Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office, Gonzales County EMS/Rescue, Gonzales Fire Department and DPS clogged the accident scene as investigators pieced together what happened.

Justice of the Peace Deidra Voigt pronounced Pate dead at the scene.

The driver of the 18-wheeler, John Paul Franco Jr., 24, of Victoria, was treated and released at Gonzales Memorial Hospital.

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