August 14, 2015 - A single-vehicle crash resulting in a fire occurred on FM 699 on Wednesday night, August 12, 2015. The Center Fire Department was dispatched to the scene of the crash and when they arrived the front end of the pickup truck involved in the crash was engulfed in flames in the front yard of a residence.
The firemen were quickly able to extinguish the flames and prevent the truck from further going up in flames. Members of the Shelby County Sheriff's Department, Center Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) all arrived at the scene and an investigation began.
According to DPS State Trooper Keith Jones, at 8:59pm a 2001 Ford F-150 owned by Ellen Hearne of Center driven by Dustin Lamar Hearne, 19, was traveling south on FM 699, 1,500 feet from FM 2468. The vehicle was traveling at an unsafe speed due to the curve in the roadway and exited the roadway over correcting left before striking an embankment on the left side of the roadway causing the truck to roll. The truck caught on fire and the fire department was dispatched to put out the fire.
Hearne was not reported to have received any injuries and refused treatment at the scene. He was issued a citation for unsafe speed.
