Penwell rollover sends two to MCH

Two West Odessans were taken to Medical Center Hospital with minor injuries after their 2000 Ford Ranger rolled over on Interstate 20 near Penwell, Department of Public Safety trooper James Lujan said.

Lujan said Miguel Lorenzo Villa was driving east in the outer eastbound lane of Interstate 20 near mile marker 98 when his rear right tire blew out, causing him to lose control. He over-corrected, causing him to roll into the median, and the truck landed right-side up facing west.

The hood of the truck's bed was thrown off the road into the westbound shoulder, halfway to the service road after the crash.

Lujan said a passerby stopped and got Villa and his wife, whose name was not available, out of the truck before they were taken to the hospital.

The cause of the tire's failure was not known, though Lujan said he saw a good-sized gash on it. No one was ticketed.