Two men perished in a two-vehicle accident at 1 a.m. Friday at the intersection of State Highway 36 and County Road 228 in Callahan County.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the preliminary investigation revealed that a Polaris Ranger, side-by-side ATV entered SH 36 from a field on the west side, traveling south. A 2020 Toyota Corolla passenger car was also traveling south on SH 36 when it collided with the rear of the ATV. As a result, the ATV veered off the west side of the roadway and overturned. Both the driver and passenger of the ATV were ejected, and the ATV subsequently caught fire.

Hunter Blake Patterson, 31, from Abilene, and Brett Cole Underwood, 29, from Clyde, were pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Toyota Corolla passenger car, 42-year-old Alfonso Martinez IV from Royse City, was transported to Hendrick Medical Center North, then flown to UMC Lubbock.

No one involved in the accident was wearing a seatbelt, according to the DPS report. Conditions were dry and the weather was clear.