DPS: Hereford man, 33, dies after train hits vehicle stopped on railroad tracks

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) recently released information about a vehicle vs. train crash in Deaf Smith County that left one Hereford man dead. 

According to a news release, at 3:12 a.m. Sunday, a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu driven by Gerzain Alonso Valenzuela-Lerma, 33, of Hereford, was traveling northbound on FM 2943 just south of its intersection with US 60, about one mile northeast of Hereford.

While traveling, the Malibu began to cross multiple railroad tracks at a marked railroad crossing.

While crossing, the Malibu stopped on the northern-most tracks in the crossing, according to DPS. A Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) Train traveling west on the same tracks saw the vehicle and began activating its emergency braking systems. However, the train collided with the Malibu, sending the car traveling off the tracks and into the ditch on the north side of the tracks.

Valenzuela-Lerma was pronounced dead on the scene as a result of injuries he sustained during the crash. He was wearing a seat belt. 

The posted speed limit was 55 mph, and weather conditions were cloudy and dry at the time of the crash, which remains under investigation.