An 18-year-old Brownsville man was killed after being ejected from this Mercedes Benz in a rollover crash that occured south of Port Isabel Sunday, June 25, 2023. (Courtesy of Texas Department of Public Safety)
|
Only have a minute? Listen instead
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
An 18-year-old man was killed after crashing and being ejected from the vehicle he was driving on a state road south of Port Isabel in the wee hours of Sunday morning, authorities said in a news release.
Damian Martinez, 18, of Brownsville died as a result of his injuries after being ejected from the 2008 Mercedes Benz he was driving in the vicinity of State Highway 48 at around 3:11 a.m., when the Texas Department of Public Safety said the driver lost control of the vehicle before crashing into a grassy area.
DPS said Martinez and another male passenger, who has not been identified, were traveling eastbound on the outside lane of SH 48 when the driver “failed to drive on a single lane approaching a curve and went over the shoulder and then through the grassy area,” losing control of the car which rolled over several times on its left side.
Authorities said Martinez did not have his seatbelt on at the time and was ejected from the vehicle, and was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The passenger was transported to Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville with what DPS described as non-incapacitating injuries.
The crash is currently under investigation as authorities suspect alcohol may have contributed to the crash and await the results of an autopsy.
“Seat belts are the best defense against impaired, aggressive, and distracted drivers,” DPS said in a release. “Being buckled up during a crash helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle; being completely ejected from a vehicle is almost always deadly. Texas law requires everyone in a vehicle to buckle up or face fines and court costs of up to $200.”
