A freak accident on U.S. Highway 259 in Nacogdoches early Saturday morning left one woman dead.
Texas Department of Public Safety trooper John Henley said the incident happened shortly after 2 a.m. Gregg Lazarine Jr., of Gary was driving a 2001 Dodge truck travelling north on U.S. 259 with his passenger, Brittany Marie Pierce, 25, of Nacogdoches.
The truck slowed to make a U-turn in the roadway and as it was turning around, the passenger side door came open. Pierce fell from the moving truck onto the roadway. She was not wearing a seat belt.
Pierce was taken to Medical Center Hospital in Nacogdoches and died from injuries she sustained from the accident. She was pronounced dead at 2:30 a.m. by Pct. 3 Justice of the Peace Judge Leann Goerner.
Her body was taken to Laird Funeral Home in Nacogdoches.