State of Texas officials publicly identified the teen driver who died last Sunday night in a rollover crash near Seminole in Gaines County.
Seventeen-year-old Benjamin Klassen, of Seminole, died at the scene of the crash, car accident reports from the Texas Department of Public Safety state. Klassen’s passenger, also a teenager, was wounded in the single-vehicle wreck, according to authorities.
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Klassen at about 10:15 p.m. Sunday was driving a truck south on Texas 214 a few miles outside Seminole when he approached a curve in the road. Klassen’s truck left the roadway and struck a utility pole, causing it to roll over, according to car accident reports.
Investigators said they do not believe Klassen was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. He was pronounced dead at the scene before he could be transported to an area hospital for treatment.
A 16-year-old girl from Seminole, whom authorities did not publicly identify, also was injured in the wreck. She was transported to an area hospital for treatment of non-incapacitating wounds, troopers said.
Klassen likely was driving too fast at the time of the wreck, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. It is unclear from car accident reports released so far whether any other factors might have contributed to the wreck.
Klassen worked as a farmer, according to an obituary posted online this week.
“Benjamin had a very kind heart and was friends with everyone,” the obituary stated. “In his spare time, he enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was loved dearly and will be truly missed.”
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