Duty of Care

On Sunday, October 11, 2026, Buckholts, Texas, Volunteer Firefighter Rick Joseph Fuentes, 26, of Cameron, was killed when the fire department truck he was driving rolled over, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety as reported by KWTX and KBTX.

DPS said the Buckholts Volunteer Fire Department truck, a 1991 BMY truck, was responding to a vehicle and grass fire in the 13000 block of Wood Road in Holland when it left the roadway near the 7300 block of Farm to Market Road 437 and rolled over. Fuentes was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.

For fire departments, the defenses to check are driver training on each apparatus, speed and road-condition policies for heavy trucks on rural roads, maintenance and replacement of aging apparatus, and seat belt use by everyone on every response.

• KWTX
• KBTX