Two women from Borger, Texas, were killed Saturday when their car was rear-ended and burst into flames on Highway 136 about two miles outside Guymon, Oklahoma. The collision happened around 12:30 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 136 and Road Y, and the highway was shut down for hours as firefighters battled the blaze and investigators worked the scene. The other driver, a 19-year-old from Texhoma, was reported not to be seriously injured. Both women in the struck vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, as reported by ABC7 Amarillo, the striking vehicle, driven by 19-year-old Israel Morales, hit the rear of a car driven by 52-year-old Maria Fernandez. The impact caused Fernandez's vehicle to catch fire. ABC7 identifies the passenger as 78-year-old Maria Villanueva De Fernandez. Both women were from Borger. The patrol said the crash remains under investigation.
KSCB News also reported on the OHP account and noted that a stretch of SH-136 at Road Y was closed for more than four hours while first responders and investigators remained on scene. That report confirms that Morales, listed as being from Texhoma, was not injured in the crash. Authorities had not released any information on possible citations or charges in the initial reports.
What Investigators Will Examine
On rural highways like SH-136, crash investigators typically look at factors such as speed, impairment, distraction, and potential mechanical failures when they reconstruct serious rear-end collisions that lead to post-impact fires. State crash data show that U.S. and state highways account for a substantial share of traffic deaths, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. In this case, officials have said that the Oklahoma Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate, as reported by KSCB News.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has not announced any charges connected to the crash, according to KSCB News. Hoodline will update this story if investigators or officials release additional information.
