In a fiery accident on SW Loop 410, the car is unrecognizable and the driver is dead

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – San Antonio police investigators are trying to determine what went wrong behind the wheel of a driver on a southwestern U.S. highway.

The driver, who was originally traveling southbound on SW Loop 410 near Medina Base Road, was killed in the crash Friday morning.

“Witnesses say that at some point (the car) may have driven under the barrier or wire and entered the northbound lanes,” said SAPD Sergeant Michael Moore.

When the car reached the opposite side of the highway, it collided with the rear axle of a semi-trailer truck and caught fire, police said.

“The car was split in two. One part of the car is right there. The other part is near the bridge,” Moore said, pointing to the wreckage.

The car was so badly damaged that the police were initially unable to say which vehicle it was.

However, in the middle of the wreckage was a car seat that appeared to have no damage at all.

The driver of the semi-trailer was not injured. Police said he stopped his truck and is cooperating with investigators.

The name of the killed driver was not known as of Friday afternoon.

“Accidents happen all the time here,” said Gilda Vasquez-Ramos, who watched the aftermath from the window of a nearby auto repair shop. “This is the first time I’ve seen something so cruel.”

Vasquez-Ramos says she herself has almost collided with other drivers who were distracted.

“Be it because you’re talking on the phone or texting at the same time, or because someone interrupts you,” she said.

In this fatal accident, police were unsure what caused the driver to veer off the road – whether it was a medical emergency or whether he was possibly distracted by something.

The investigation is ongoing.