Local News
32-Year-Old Worker Carl Williams Killed After Garbage Truck Veers Into Ditch and Overturns in Hardin County
HARDIN COUNTY, Texas — A routine garbage collection run turned deadly Thursday morning when a 32-year-old worker was thrown from a garbage truck that veered off the roadway and overturned, killing him at the scene.
The fatal crash happened at approximately 5:45 a.m. on Cravy Lane, just east of FM 418 outside Silsbee, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Preliminary information from DPS indicates that the garbage truck was traveling east on Cravy Lane with worker Carl Louie Williams, 32, of Silsbee, positioned on the exterior left side of the vehicle as the truck traveled toward its next scheduled stop.
For reasons that remain under investigation, the driver reportedly veered off the roadway. The garbage truck left the pavement and entered the north ditch, where it overturned onto its left side.
During the rollover, Williams was thrown from the garbage truck. The vehicle then came to rest on top of him, resulting in fatal injuries.
Williams was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities identified him as a Silsbee resident who was working on the garbage collection vehicle at the time of the crash.
The driver, 31-year-old Keonia Owens of Beaumont, was not injured in the crash. No other injuries were reported.
The circumstances that caused the garbage truck to leave the roadway have not been released. The Texas Department of Public Safety is continuing its investigation into the fatal Hardin County crash.
Local News
29-Year-Old Alex Rodriguez Found Dead on University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, No Foul Play Suspected
URBANA, Ill. — A 29-year-old Champaign man found dead on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus Monday morning has been identified as Alex C. Rodriguez, according to the Champaign County Coroner’s Office.
The University of Illinois Police Department (UIPD) responded to the area of Green and Wright streets at approximately 6:42 a.m. after receiving a report of an unresponsive person near the Alma Mater statue.
Officers arrived and found Rodriguez on a concrete bench. Emergency medical assistance was requested at the scene.
The Champaign County Coroner’s Office responded, and Rodriguez was pronounced dead at approximately 7:16 a.m., according to Coroner Laurie Brauer.
Authorities said Rodriguez was not affiliated with the University of Illinois.
UIPD provided an update Monday afternoon, saying preliminary observations at the scene revealed no signs of foul play.
Police also said there was no evidence of an ongoing threat to the university campus or surrounding community based on the information available when officers responded.
Because investigators did not identify an active threat, the university did not issue an Illini-Alert emergency notification.
The circumstances surrounding Rodriguez’s death have not been determined.
An autopsy has been scheduled, and the death remains under investigation by the University of Illinois Police Department.
Authorities have not released additional information about the circumstances leading to Rodriguez’s death.
The investigation remains ongoing, and additional details are expected as investigators receive further information from the autopsy and other evidence.
No foul play has been indicated based on the preliminary investigation.