Horrific wreck claims lives of two area men, closes Hwy 103
Polk County Enterprise, October 2007

Horrific wreck claims lives of two area men, closes Hwy 103
CORRIGAN - A head-on collision on the state Highway 103 bridge over Sam Rayburn Reservoir claimed the lives of two truck drivers Monday morning.
Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene, according to Texas Department of Public Safety officials who responded to the 911 calls.
Benito Gonzales, Sr., 46, of Corrigan, was killed when the Fleetwood Transportation rig he was driving collided with a brand new 18-wheeler driven by Richard Thompson, 34, of Diboll, killing Thompson.
Thompson was a former police officer with the Diboll Police Department and had only recently started his own logging company, R.A.T. Trucking.
Gonzales was an owner/operator for Fleetwood Transporation and was hauling wood shavings. He had been a resident of Corrigan for over twenty-five years and had previously worked for Hughes Trucking.
“When it hit, it sounded like a thunderous roar,” said Kevin Holden with the Etoile Volunteer Fire Department who responded to the accident.
“There was zero visibility...it was so foggy, we couldn’t see anything until we got right up on the scene of the accident.
DPS troopers on the scene said it would take some time to clear the roadway of spilled wood shavings to determine if there skid marks which could indicate how the accident happened, according to a report by Jessica Savage with The Lufkin Daily News.
“I’ve been with DPS for 19 years and I haven’t seen one this bad,” said Trooper Brian Henry, one of the officers on the scene.
The Highway 103 bridge remained closed to traffic for more than eight hours as cleanup crews worked to clear the two-lane stretch of highway of wreckage and wood shavings.