Roger Miller, 68, killed, Robert Lazcano, 67, critically injured, airlifted to hospital, after a pickup, SUV and tractor-trailer collide on eastbound Highway 97 near Floresville.

A former San Antonio police detective died Wednesday morning in a four-vehicle crash in Wilson County east of Floresville.

Investigators said the pile-up began just after 9 a.m. when Robert Lazcano, 67, driving a Chevrolet pickup eastbound on Highway 97 four miles east of Floresville, slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting a dog in the road.

A tractor pulling a flatbed trailer rear-ended the pickup, sending it into the westbound lane where it collided head-on with a Honda SUV driven by Roger Miller, 68.

Another pickup clipped the Honda when it came to rest, said Trooper Anthony Flores of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Miller died as a result of the crash, while Lazcano was airlifted to University Hospital, Flores said.

The tractor-trailer also hit and killed the dog, Flores said. The tractor-trailer's driver, James Kemp, 45, was not injured, Flores said.

Highway 97 was closed until about 1:30 p.m.