Edinburg police are investigating two major, unrelated car crashes that occurred early Saturday morning, the department stated in a release.
Officers were dispatched to the first incident, which the department noted was a one-vehicle crash, in the area of the 3100 block of East Mile 19 at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday.
Upon arrival, officers found a Chevy Colorado pickup truck upside down, the release stated.
The driver of the vehicle was identified as 38-year-old Gabriel Tijerina, who officers learned during the course of their investigation that he was speeding on Mile 19 Road.
As the road came to a dead end, Edinburg police said Tijerina hit a mound of dirt and a tree at the end of the road, which caused his truck to flip over.
Tijerina was ejected from the truck and died from his injuries at the scene. According to police, it is believed that Tijerina was not wearing a seatbelt.
Hours later, officers were dispatched to the 2800 block of east Monte Cristo Road at about 7 a.m. in reference to a major three-vehicle wreck — in an unrelated incident that occurred on the same day.
Police learned that the 17-year-old driver of a Ford Fusion was driving westbound on the eastbound lanes of east Monte Cristo Saturday morning.
Then, the 17-year-old crashed head-on into a Ford F-150 pickup truck and collided with a Dodge Caravan. The driver of the Dodge crashed into a fence nearby, police say.
The 17-year-old driver was taken to DHR Health in Edinburg and is in critical condition, the release stated. Three injured people in the Ford pickup were transported to McAllen Medical Center, while the driver of the Dodge was also taken to a local hospital.
According to Edinburg police, the accident is still under investigation while toxicology results are pending.
