A&M lineman killed in car crash

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KXAN) - Texas A&M senior offensive lineman Joseph Villavisencio was killed in a car accident outside of Normangee in East Texas late Thursday.

According to a release from the school, Villavisencio, 22, was traveling north on State Highway 39 toward Normangee on his way home to Jacksonville. Witnesses say Villavisencio’s car swerved to avoid a buzzard in the roadway and his car went into the path of an oncoming 18-wheeler.

 "The world lost a very special person today,” said former Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman. “My heart  aches for his mom, dad and sister, all of whom were so dear to him. His teammates, coaches and fellow students will remember him as someone who would do anything for anybody.

"I will always remember him as always offering me a smile whenever we talked and would always answer my questions with a simple, ‘Yes, coach’ or ‘No, coach’. He was one of the most respectful and high character players I have ever coached. It was an honor and privilege to have known him, and to have coached him."

The day he was killed, Villavisencio and his teammates were handing out gifts that were purchased by the  football team for kids and families at the Twin City Mission in Bryan.

Villavisencio was a senior radiological health engineering major.