A two-vehicle crash at the US Highway 190 bridge crossing at Dam B in Jasper County sent both drivers to Houston-area hospitals by helicopter early Sunday, after a Chevrolet truck slammed into a westbound Kia and plowed through roughly 100 feet of guardrail before stopping near the Neches River bridge. The wreck shut down the highway in both directions for about two hours as crews worked the scene.
Beech Grove VFD Chief Jamie Gunter said crews responded at about 4:30 a.m. to the crash, according to KFDM, though KJAS reported the crash happened shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday. The Kia was found facing west in the roadway at the traffic signal with extensive rear-end damage, while the Chevrolet truck sustained extensive front and side damage, per the station's report.
After striking the Kia, the truck kept going west for about 200 yards before hitting the guardrail on the south side of the roadway, destroying roughly 100 feet of it, as reported by Fox 4 Beaumont. The outlet reported the truck came to rest on the east-side new approach to the Neches River bridge, though other accounts described it stopping near the edge of the water — a detail the dossier does not resolve.
Both Drivers Treated at the Scene, Then Flown Out
Beech Grove VFD medical personnel assessed and treated both the Kia driver and the truck driver at the scene, with Allegiance Mobile Health - Jasper EMS continuing their care, per the same account. Both drivers were ultimately transported from the scene by medical helicopters to Houston-area hospitals.
Fox 4 Beaumont reported that Allegiance Air 1 flew in from Kirbyville and Allegiance Air 3 came from Livingston to carry out the two drivers.
Highway Shut Down While Crews Cleared the Scene
The Jasper County Sheriff's Office closed US Highway 190 in both directions and helped establish a landing zone for the medical helicopters, the station noted. Dam B VFD assisted with traffic control and the landing zone for the second aircraft. The roadway remained closed for approximately two hours before reopening, according to Fox 4 Beaumont's reporting.
The Texas Department of Public Safety — Southeast Texas Region investigated the crash.
A Stretch of Highway With a Rough Recent History
Fox 4 Beaumont has reported that the crash happened in a construction area where many similar accidents have occurred over roughly the past year. In June, a late-model Chevrolet pickup struck a guardrail at the same Dam B crossing with no injuries reported, the outlet noted in a separate report.
In November 2024, a single-vehicle rollover wreck closed US 190 near the Neches River bridge at the Dam B construction zone, with the vehicle coming to rest upside down roughly 20 feet below road level on the north side of the bridge, according to KTRE. That driver was taken to a Jasper hospital. A separate late-night crash that same month also forced a closure of the highway near the Dam B bridge, as reported at the time.
TxDOT has described plans for a project to replace the two existing US 190 bridges over the Neches River at Lake Steinhagen with a single modern crossing, according to the agency. A September project update listed the Steinhagen bridge project's cost at $38.2 million with an anticipated completion date of spring 2027, though the available details on scope and timeline remain limited.
