Rebecca Cerda dies in fatal Leon County car crash

Rebecca Cerda dies in fatal Leon County car crash

Fatal Leon County car crash death of Rebecca Cerda – Obituary

Rebecca Cerda, a 20-year-old Houston resident, was one of five people who died in a catastrophic crash Saturday afternoon on Interstate 45 in Leon County. The accident occurred just after 3 p.m. near the town of Leona.

Investigators with the Texas Department of Public Safety reported that a southbound 2016 Dodge pickup veered off the road, struck a guardrail, and crossed the center median. The vehicle then launched over the cable barrier and collided head-on with a 2023 Ford F-150 traveling north. Both vehicles caught fire following the impact.

Emergency responders from the Centerville and Leona Volunteer Fire Departments worked to extinguish the flames and remove the victims. Rebecca Cerda, who was riding in the Ford F-150, was pronounced dead at the scene along with four others by Justice of the Peace Jeff Carr.

Also killed in the crash were her mother, Veronica Cerda, 53; her sisters, Veronica Denise Cerda, 26, and Daniela Cerda, 18; and the driver of the Ford, Hermenegildo Melendez, 55.

The driver of the Dodge pickup, 43-year-old Toriano Fair of Dallas, sustained serious injuries and was transported to CHI St. Joseph Regional Hospital in Bryan.

The investigation into the deadly crash is ongoing.