A routine Wednesday drive through West Texas ended in tragedy for two Central Texas men. Elmo Hiram Nowlain, an 80-year-old resident of Valley Mills, and his 39-year-old passenger, Andrew Joseph Starr of Hamilton, lost their lives in a violent two-truck collision. The crash occurred around 4:17 p.m. at a quiet rural intersection in Fisher County. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene by responding authorities.
The two men were traveling eastbound along U.S. Highway 180 in a 2015 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck. As they approached Farm to Market Road 611 near Sweetwater, their heavy-duty truck headed straight toward the crossing. State troopers noted that the flat, open stretch of road sits about 100 miles west of Abilene. Traffic was moving normally right up until the moments leading to the collision.
At that same instant, another pickup was headed toward the intersection from the opposite direction. Driving that second vehicle, a 2024 Ford F-150, was 38-year-old Joseph Timothy Shults of Ropesville. Neither driver had much time to react as both trucks closed the distance at highway speeds.
Preliminary findings from the Texas Department of Public Safety indicate that Nowlain attempted to make a left turn across the oncoming lanes. Investigators stated that Nowlain failed to yield the right of way, pulling the Dodge directly into the path of the approaching Ford. The resulting impact slammed the Ford into the turning Dodge with devastating force.
The collision inflicted fatal injuries on both men inside the Dodge Ram. Emergency crews arrived shortly after the 4:17 p.m. call, but there was nothing medics could do for the driver or his passenger. State troopers later confirmed a critical detail from the wreck: neither Nowlain nor Starr was wearing a seatbelt when the crash occurred.
Shults fared much better on the other side of the impact. The Ropesville driver was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash. He walked away with minor injuries and was transported to Fisher County Hospital for treatment and observation.
Texas DPS investigators continue to review the wreckage and evidence at the intersection of U.S. 180 and FM 611. While state troopers listed failure to yield as the primary contributing factor, officials emphasized that the investigation remains open. Additional details may be released as investigators finish their review of the scene.
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