Albany man killed in wreck

By Melinda L. Lucas

Albany native Justin Rodriguez died in a one-vehicle rollover six miles south of Albany on Hwy. 6 last Thursday night, April 20.

A 911 call from the first motorist on the scene was recorded at 8:46 p.m. Initially, it was believed that there was a passenger, but a second call to the dispatcher clarified that Rodriguez was the only one involved in the accident.

DPS trooper Jonathan Lafrenz’s preliminary investigation indicated that Rodriguez’s 1997 Ford F-350 pickup was traveling north on Hwy. 6 approaching a curve in the roadway. He apparently “veered off the right side of the roadway, took evasive action steering back to the left across the road...left the roadway and overturned,” according to the report.

Rodriguez was pinned in the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 9:00 p.m. by Shackelford County judge John Viertel.

Members of the Albany Volunteer Fire Department assisted at the scene, along with DPS troopers Chad Overton and Will Windham, and Shackelford County EMS and law enforcement officers.

The scene was cleared at about 10:50 p.m.

Rodriguez, a 2004 graduate of Albany High School, was an independent pipeline welder.

Services will be held Thursday, April 27, at Bethel Assembly in Albany, starting at 2:00 p.m.

Friends have set up a fund at First National Bank of Albany to help the family with funeral expenses, and a memorial barbecue fundraiser has been organized for Saturday, April 29, beginning at 11:00 a.m. at 8199 N. Hwy. 283 (Throckmorton highway).