A deadly four-vehicle crash on Highway 361 has claimed the lives of a married couple, adding to growing safety concerns along the busy Coastal Bend roadway.
The Nueces County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims as Roberto “Robert” Lopez, 55, and Karen Lopez, 46. Their deaths bring the number of people killed on Highway 361 to three within a single week.
According to a public fundraiser organized by Andrea Bell, who identified herself as the couple’s oldest daughter, Robert and Karen were husband and wife, Marine Corps veterans and parents of six children. Their youngest child is 13.
The fundraiser states that the couple was traveling to pick up their son after his first week of high school when the crash happened.
Highway 361 Crash Involved Four Vehicles
Corpus Christi police received a report of the crash at approximately 3:40 p.m. Friday near the Mayan Princess and Island Park Estates.
Investigators said a driver rear-ended a southbound vehicle, causing that vehicle to enter the path of oncoming traffic. It then collided with two northbound vehicles.
Robert and Karen Lopez died as a result of the collision. Meanwhile, emergency crews transported two other people to a local hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening.
Police said alcohol did not contribute to the crash.
The collision has drawn additional attention to Highway 361 because another deadly wreck occurred only days earlier.
Three Highway 361 Deaths in One Week
Five days before the crash that killed the Lopezes, another collision claimed the life of 59-year-old Jarrod Fangman in Port Aransas.
Traffic investigators said a southbound vehicle crossed into the northbound lane on Monday, Aug. 10, and struck Fangman’s vehicle head-on. Authorities pronounced him dead at the scene.
Together, the two crashes resulted in three deaths in less than a week.
The recent fatalities have renewed concerns about the design and safety of Highway 361, particularly sections where opposing traffic travels along an undivided two-lane roadway.
Lawmakers Plan Meeting With TxDOT
As safety concerns grow, members of the Nueces County state legislative delegation are expected to meet with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) on Wednesday afternoon to discuss Highway 361.
State Rep. Todd Hunter said addressing the highway is an immediate priority. Hunter is leading the effort involving other members of the delegation.
The group also includes State Rep. Denise Villalobos and state Sens. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa and Adam Hinojosa.
Villalobos indicated that lawmakers have discussed Highway 361 with transportation officials before. However, the latest fatal crashes have placed renewed attention on possible safety improvements and the timeline for future construction.
Highway 361 Safety Improvements Remain Years Away
Concerns surrounding Highway 361 are not new. Serious and fatal crashes have repeatedly raised questions about sections of the roadway where vehicles can cross directly into opposing traffic.
TxDOT has been developing plans to improve the highway between Port Aransas and Park Road 22.
In July 2023, the agency described the project as being in its early development stages. By May 2024, the proposed improvements had advanced into preliminary engineering.
TxDOT later held a public meeting in September 2024 to present its proposal and gather community input.
TxDOT Proposal Would Widen Highway 361
The proposed project would significantly change approximately 15 miles of Highway 361.
Plans call for widening the roadway from two lanes to four lanes. The project would also add a raised center median, which could provide greater separation between vehicles traveling in opposite directions.
Additionally, TxDOT’s proposal includes a shared-use path intended to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.
However, the project remains years away from construction. TxDOT has indicated that work is not expected to begin until at least 2030.
That timeline could become an important part of discussions between lawmakers and transportation officials as the Nueces County delegation meets with TxDOT.
Recent Deaths Renew Highway Safety Concerns
For families traveling between Corpus Christi, Padre Island and Port Aransas, Highway 361 serves as an important transportation corridor. It also carries significant traffic from residents, workers and tourists.
The deaths of Robert and Karen Lopez, followed so closely after Fangman’s fatal crash, have again placed roadway safety at the center of public discussion.
As lawmakers meet with TxDOT, attention will likely focus on what safety measures could be implemented before the larger highway expansion begins.
For the Lopez family, however, the consequences of Friday’s crash are already permanent. Six children are mourning parents described by their family as Marine Corps veterans who were traveling to pick up their son from school.
The latest Highway 361 crashes now add urgency to a long-running question for transportation officials and lawmakers: what can be done to make the roadway safer before the planned improvements arrive?