Body found in spillway accident

Armando Valdez, 23, of Texarkana, Texas was found Thursday, April 8 at approximately 9 a.m. just down the river from where the accident occurred. It was announced Wednesday that the Corps of Engineers made the decision to resume the water flow through the spillway at noon in order to prevent flooding upstream. The body of Valdez floated to the surface on Thursday after the gates were opened according to Shawn Hervey of the Texas Game Wardens Law Enforcement Division.

It was reported on in the last issue of the Journal-Sun that on April 4, 2021, at approximately 6 p.m., “Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers were notified of a one-vehicle crash on Sulphur Point Road near the spillway of Lake Wright Patman along the Bowie/Cass County border. A female passenger, Lucia Mendoza, 29, was pulled from the water to safety and transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.”

The findings indicated that a 2000 GMC Yukon was traveling Southeast on Sulphur Point Road when the Yukon left the roadway and went through a barrier, into the spillway. According to Shawn Hervey of the Texas Game Wardens Law Enforcement Division, the vehicle was found in the water at around 10:24 p.m. When the vehicle was pulled from the water, the driver was not inside.

In last week’s article, it was reported that U.S. Corps of Engineers manager, Matt Seavey, said the water was estimated to be about 27 to 30 feet deep when the vehicle went into the lake and that the force of the water may have carried the man upstream. The findings indicated that was indeed the case.

Nearly 100 people from different agencies, including Texas Department of Public Safety, Bowie County Sheriff ’s Office, Cass County Sheriff ’s Office, Texas game wardens, and several fire departments worked to recover the vehicle and the driver, with the resolution of that effort coming Thursday morning.

The crash continues to remain under investigation.