McLENNAN County (September 02, 2009)—Two people are dead and a third is injured following a grinding two-car head-on wreck.

The collision occurred at 5:23 a.m. near the intersection of U.S. 84 and Frazier Lane in Axtell, east of Waco.

Department of Public Safety Cpl. Charlie Morgan told News 10 a Toyota Avalon, driven by Dustin Clint Richards, 22, of Coolidge, was traveling westbound on U.S. when it for reasons unknown drifted into the oncoming lane and struck an eastbound Plymouth Breeze, driven by Sandra Luz Vasquez, 48, of Waco.

Both Richards and Vasquez were pronounced dead at the scene by McLennan County Justice of the Peace Belinda Summers, of Mart, at 6:54 a.m.

Alvaro Lopez, 51, of Waco, was riding in the Plymouth with Vasquez at the time of the accident and was transported to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

The Plymouth was spun around by the collision and landed in the eastbound roadside ditch while the Toyota came to a rest sidways in the westbound lane.

Both lanes of travel along U.S. 84 were closed for more than three hours while Troopers investigated the scene.

Eastbound traffic was diverted at Native Oaks Road while westbound traffic detoured around the accident at Longhorn Parkway.

Both Vasquez, a cafeteria worker at Teague I.S.D., and Richards, a construction worker in Waco, were on their way to work at the time of the collision, a DPS dispatcher later told News 10.