BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — An 18-wheeler driver is facing questions after officials say a man died falling off the back of the cab where he was hiding, and down into the wheel well of the truck.
Police in Von Ormy, as well as the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, responded to I-35 South at Benton City Road for reports of an accident around 10:15 p.m. Monday.
Officials say that a man was found dead and they believe he had been hiding on the back of the cab of the 18-wheeler truck when he lost his grip and fell down into the wheel well. Police say he died instantly.
According to BCSO, the driver was traveling north on I-35 South and was driving slow due to some construction when a black Mercedes pulled in front of him. He told authorities that he felt his cab moving, so he he looked in his mirrors but didn’t see anything.
The car in front of him wasn’t moving, so he flashed his lights at it and tried moving forward but noticed something was wrong with his tractor trailer. He told deputies that something was wrong with his brakes.
The driver said he saw a man running across the southbound lanes of the highway and the black car that was in front of him picked up that person. That's when he got out of his truck and saw a second man underneath the tires of his trailer.
Officials say that they believe the two men are migrants and were hiding on the top of the driver's truck. At some point, they lost their grip causing them to fall from the top of the trailer. One of those men ended up getting run over and also damaging the trailers brakes.
The driver is not facing charges for this incident, says BCSO.
No additional injuries were reported.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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