Villanueva, a native of Del Rio, was killed when a white 1999 Ford Ranger collided with an 18 wheeler carrying cattle Thursday afternoon.

   He was pinned under the vehicle for about half an hour before he was pulled from the cabin which had completely collapsed underneath the tractor trailer. Three ambulances, two Eagle Pass Fire Department rescue units, DPS officers, and Maverick County Sheriff’s deputies and constables were at the scene to assist in the rescue and in controlling the scene of the accident.

   According to Fire Chief Manuel Mello a helicopter was initially requested to transfer the patient to San Antonio directly, but was later canceled after first responders were not able to stabilize the patient.  Villanueva was then transferred to the Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center with a police escort while paramedics administered CPR. He later died from the severity of his injuries after being transported to the hospital. 

   The driver of the tractor trailer was not seriously injured as a result of the collision.  

   The accident halted traffic on the Northside of town for several hours. Both inbound and outbound lanes of 277 were completely shut down while DPS took over the investigation of the accident.