WARD, TX, (June 27, 2026) — A 57-year-old man was killed on June 27 when his pickup truck was struck by another driver on Farm-to-Market Road 3398 in Ward County.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) reported that Richard Gerard Ritter, of West Palm Beach, Florida, was driving a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck that was hit by a Ford F-150 pickup driven by a 20-year-old man at about 7 a.m. Investigators said the collision occurred after the F-150 crossed over the center line into the westbound lane.
Ritter was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the F-150 was also killed in the crash.
A Nissan Rogue driving westbound swerved to the right to avoid a head-on collision with the Ford pickup, left the roadway, and struck a metal utility pole. That driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The accident remains under investigation.
