I-35E Reopened After Fatal Crash on Lake Lewisville Bridge: DPS

Authorities said a 64-year-old man is dead after being knocked off the Lake Lewisville Bridge in a crash Tuesday night.

Texas Department of Public Safety investigators said a black Nissan was disabled partially in the right lane of northbound Interstate 35E on the Lake Lewisville Bridge in Denton County just before 8:40 p.m.

The Nissan driver was on the phone with 911 operators when a white van struck the Nissan, according to DPS spokesman Lonny Haschel. The impact caused the driver — who was outside the vehicle — to fall over the bridge railing into the lake water below.

Haschel said five witnesses went into the water, pulled the Nissan driver — later identified as Gholamreza Sabzghabaei — to the shore.

Jared Stevenson is one of the witnesses. He is an officer for the Denton Police Department but was off-duty when he happened to pull up on the scene.

"I couldn't just sit there and do nothing so I ran down the bridge to the shore and started taking my boots off, getting ready to get into the water," Stevenson said.

Dudley Reed, of Denton, also braved the frigid water to help.

"It was just a reaction. The guy was not in a position to be ignored. He had to be helped," Reed said.

Two of the attempted rescuers even dove from the 30-foot high bridge deck into the lake; one of whom was the driver of the van that hit Sabzghabaei's car, Haschel said.

Stevenson pulled Sabzghabaei's body to the shore and performed CPR until first responders arrived.

Sabzghabaei was pronounced dead at the scene.

"It kind of haunts you a little bit," Stevenson said.

The driver of the white van was transported to Denton Regional Medical Center with serious injuries, but Haschel said Wednesday afternoon that all five of the attempted rescuers were okay.