Hudson, Pineywoods Basketball Players Feeling Fortunate Following Tragic Wreck [WATCH]

Tuesday evening, a high school basketball game between Hudson and Pineywoods Community Academy had just wrapped up at Central High School gym.  It was just after 7:30 and my son was riding with me as we made the turn onto Highway 69 heading south.   

Between FM 843 and the Lufkin State School, a red car sped past us at speeds well over 85 mph.  Then, a few seconds later, near the TV station turn in,  we noticed a dark colored pick up/SUV combo picking up speed and driving erratically southbound on Highway 69.  As we turned the next curve nearing Clawson, it was obvious a bad accident had just occurred.  We saw cars that had pulled to the side of the road, power lines were suspended just above the highway, and dust was still in the air from the impact.

I parked my truck onto the grass off the northbound shoulder of Highway 69 and went across the road to see if I could help.  I could immediately tell from the debris field and the state of the power line pole that this had to be the result of one of the speeding vehicles.  First responders and volunteers immediately took to blocking traffic in both directions because of the debris on the roadways as well as the danger presented by the power lines on or just above the highway.

I learned later that the victim of this crash was a 68 year old man from Tyler, Marvin Louis Price.  He suffered from a cognitive impairment, possibly Alzheimer's, and was reported missing and last seen in Northwest Tyler around 4 pm Tuesday.  A Silver Alert was issued for Price just after 8 pm, however, by that time, the fatal one-vehicle accident had already occurred.

Social media erupted in the minutes following the crash.  Many of the basketball players from Hudson and Pineywoods Community Academy along with their families had either seen the speeding vehicle(s) or were stopped in traffic in the minutes following the accident.  Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were full of folks wanting to know what happened and then wanting to make sure that everyone was accounted for and safe.

Given the crowded status of Highway 69 that evening and the erratic path of the vehicle involved in the high speed crash,  it was obvious to many that God was looking over many people that night.  And that certainly was repeated many times over on social media postings. "God was watching over us", was one of the postings I noticed.

I still have no idea what role, if any, the speeding red vehicle may have played in all this.  Did Price think he recognized this vehicle which subsequently led him to perform a U-turn on Highway 69 and then give chase?  Or did Price see that red vehicle at all?  I know at last report the DPS was still conducting an investigation into the events that led to the crash.

I took some video of the debris surrounding the crash site.  I wanted to make sure that this was not posted until the name of the victim was released.  I also wanted to make sure that the actual final resting place of the mangled vehicle (behind the trees) was not included, only some of the debris field so as to give an indication of the high speed nature of this crash.

Please keep Price along with his family and friends in your prayers.