LUFKIN, Texas — The Lufkin Police Department says one person is dead after crashing an 18-wheeler into the AutoZone on Timberland Dr.
The LPD says the accident occurred around 4:25 a.m. when the southbound 18-wheeler left the road, for an unknown reason, at the Tulane intersection and traveled several hundred yards before driving through the AutoZone.
The truck came to rest in a Kiwanis Park tree line behind a neighboring office building.
When officers and firefighters arrived on the scene, they found the driver was dead. Firefighters worked for 30 minutes to extricate him from the cab.
"The truck tore down power lines after leaving the road," the LPD said in a statement. "Initially, 900 homes were without power but that number was down to 26 as of 6 a.m. Oncor is on the scene."
Two vehicles in the AutoZone parking lot were also damaged in the accident.
Police say the truck driver was from out of state and he was hauling bananas.
One northbound lane of Timberland Dr. is blocked from S. First St. to Tulane Dr.
The accident remains under investigation.
