Pickup Truck and Train Collision Injures Three in Jim Hogg County

Reported November 7, 2026

Reported

Three people were injured Saturday morning when a pickup truck and a train collided on Highway 359 in Jim Hogg County, with one person thrown from the vehicle and two others trapped inside, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

What Happened on Highway 359

The collision was reported just before 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 7, at the intersection of Highway 359 and Reyna Ranch Road in Jim Hogg County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). DPS said one of the three occupants was ejected from the pickup truck as a result of the impact, while the remaining two were trapped inside the vehicle. All three injured individuals were brought to Jim Hogg Airport, where they waited to be airlifted to receive medical treatment, DPS said.

No deaths had been reported as of when KGNS published its account of the crash, and Highway 359 was confirmed to remain open. The full account from local station KGNS in Laredo provides additional local context. The cause of the collision and whether any traffic-control devices were present at the crossing were not addressed in the initial report, and those details remain subject to the ongoing DPS investigation.

• Ejection From The Vehicle: Being thrown from a pickup truck during a collision greatly increases the risk of severe injury, since the occupant loses the protection of the vehicle’s frame and any deployed airbags.
• Entrapment Inside The Cab: Two people trapped inside the truck required rescue before they could receive care, a situation that emergency responders in rural counties often handle with limited resources nearby.
• Airlift For Medical Care: Jim Hogg County is a sparsely populated area in deep South Texas where the nearest trauma center capable of handling serious injuries is a significant distance away, making air transport a common necessity after major crashes.
• Road Remained Open: Despite the severity of the collision, DPS confirmed that Highway 359 stayed open, though conditions at the scene during the response were not detailed in the initial report.

Railroad Crossings and Rural Roads in South Texas

Vehicle-train collisions at rural grade crossings are a persistent safety concern across Texas, and South Texas is no exception. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration both track crossing incidents, noting that many rural crossings lack the automatic gates and flashing lights that are common in urban areas. For example, a crossing on a ranch road or a lightly traveled rural highway may have only a crossbuck sign, leaving drivers to judge train approach on their own, particularly on flat terrain where sightlines can seem deceptively clear.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) consistently notes that collisions between motor vehicles and trains carry a high risk of severe injury because of the enormous difference in mass between the two, with even a slow-moving freight train weighing many times more than a fully loaded pickup truck. When a collision does occur, the physics tend to push the vehicle aside or crush it rather than bringing the train to a quick stop, which is why ejections and entrapments are common outcomes. Speed, sight distance, the presence or absence of active warning devices, and driver awareness of the crossing all factor into how fault and causation are assessed in these incidents, though official findings take time and are determined through investigation.

• Always Stop If Unsure: At any railroad crossing, stopping and looking in both directions before crossing is safer than relying solely on a warning signal, since signals can occasionally malfunction and rural crossings may have no active devices at all.
• Trains Move Faster Than They Appear: A freight train at highway speed can close distance much more quickly than it looks from a vehicle approach, a factor that is known to contribute to driver misjudgment at crossings.
• Rural Response Times: In counties like Jim Hogg, where population density is low and emergency services may cover large geographic areas, air transport becomes a critical link in the chain of trauma care following serious crashes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Highway 359 Closed After the Crash?

According to DPS as reported by KGNS, Highway 359 remained open following the collision. No lane closures or road shutdowns were mentioned in the initial report.

Were Any Fatalities Confirmed?

No deaths had been reported as of the time of KGNS’s initial publication. All three injured people were airlifted for medical care, and their conditions were not detailed in the report.

Where Is Jim Hogg County in Texas?

Jim Hogg County is a rural county in deep South Texas, bordered to the north by Webb County (home to Laredo) and situated along the brush country region near the Texas-Mexico border. It is one of the least densely populated counties in the state, which makes access to trauma care a consistent challenge following serious incidents on its roadways.