Joseph Shults, Sweetwater, Texas: Buckled driver survives crash that claimed lives of two unbelted truck occupants.

A single split second at a West Texas intersection made the difference between minor injuries and a double fatality. Joseph Timothy Shults, a 38-year-old driver from Ropesville, survived a heavy broadside collision on Wednesday afternoon near Sweetwater. His 2024 Ford F-150 slammed into a turning 2015 Dodge Ram 3500 that pulled directly into his path.

The crash happened around 4:17 p.m. at the junction of U.S. Highway 180 and Farm to Market Road 611 in Fisher County. Shults was heading westbound when the oncoming Dodge Ram attempted a left-hand turn across his lane. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers reported that the driver of the Dodge failed to yield the right of way.

Behind the wheel of the Dodge was 80-year-old Elmo Hiram Nowlain of Valley Mills. Riding beside him in the passenger seat was 39-year-old Andrew Joseph Starr from Hamilton. With no time for either driver to stop, the Ford struck the side of the Dodge in the middle of the crossing.

The impact proved fatal for both men inside the turning truck. Emergency responders pronounced Nowlain and Starr dead at the scene shortly after arriving. State troopers later noted that neither man had buckled up prior to the collision.

Shults owed his survival to a simple strap. Texas DPS troopers confirmed he was wearing his seatbelt during the collision. The safety restraint kept him in place as his truck absorbed the shock, leaving him with only minor injuries.

Paramedics transported Shults to Fisher County Hospital shortly after the crash. Medical staff treated his minor injuries while state troopers closed off the intersection to examine the vehicles and map out the impact site. The rural area lies roughly 100 miles west of Abilene in a wide-open region of West Texas.

State troopers continue to investigate the details surrounding the fatal wreck at U.S. 180 and FM 611. Official reports list the failure to yield right of way as the main cause, though DPS investigators stress that their findings remain preliminary as they review all physical evidence.