Van Zandt County Commissioner killed after tree falls on truck during storms
EDOM, Texas - A Van Zandt County commissioner died while on the way home from his grandchild's baseball game during Monday night's severe weather.
It happened just 20 miles west of Tyler, where severe storms downed power lines and trees and damaged homes.
Virgil Melton (Courtesy: Van Zandt Co. Leadership)
Authorities say Van Zandt Commissioner Virgil Melton was driving down FM 279 during the storms. He and his wife were coming back from their grandkid’s baseball game in Tyler.
The two barely crossed into Edom when a tree fell on their car. Melton was killed instantly, and his wife is in the ICU.
The loss is already weighing heavy on Van Zandt County Judge Andy Reese.
"Commissioner Melton was the rock of this county," he said. "He’s just a very honorable man. He served his community. He served so many people. He was serving his grandkids when this happened."
Nearby Smith County was one of the harder-hit areas by Monday night’s storms.
In Tyler, the power of the wind uprooted the trees and left them leaning on apartment buildings, cars and, for one homeowner, straight through the middle of their house.
"Now we’re getting just the sheer force straight-line winds that are just as damaging sometimes as the tornadoes are in that regard," Reese said.
Power outages are also a concern.
There are multiple electrical companies that service the area. One of them is Oncor. It says restoration will take multiple days.
"Up until last night, we didn’t have any recorded injuries or fatalities," Reese said. "And last night was the first one that we had."
That’s what makes recovery from this storm especially tough.
"You ask God why he takes people like that, and I’ve kind of learned that it’s to make everyone else step up," Reese said. "He was someone that everybody respected because of his integrity, a man of his word."
Melton took office in 2007 and helped the county recover from several tornadoes, with the most recent in 2019.
Judge Reese says Melton will be honored at a later date once his wife is out of the hospital.