A deadly collision in Leon County Saturday afternoon left multiple people dead, according to the Centerville Volunteer Fire Department. The Texas Department of Public Safety tells KBTX the crash happened on northbound I-45 near Leona around 3:17 pm. A 2016 Dodge pickup was traveling in the southbound lanes when the vehicle went off the road and struck a guardrail. The pickup then went into the center median, vaulted over the cable barrier, and struck a 2023 Ford F-150 travelling north head-on on and both caught on fire. Firefighters from the Centerville Volunteer Fire Department and Leona Volunteer Fire Department worked together to extinguish the fire and rescue people from inside the vehicles. The Centerville VFD says five people were pronounced dead at the scene. DPS has identified the people who died as Hermenegildo Melendez, 55, of Houston, who was the driver of the Ford F-150, and pronounced deceased on the scene by Leon County Justice of the Peace Jeff Carr. The passengers, Veronica Cerda, 53; Veronica Denise Cerda, 26; Rebecca Cerda, 20; and Daniela Cerda, 18, were also pronounced deceased on the scene by Justice Carr. The driver of the Dodge, Toriano Fair, 43, of Dallas, was transported to CHI St. Joseph Regional Hospital in Bryan with suspected serious injuries. This is an ongoing investigation, and no further details are available at this time.
