JACKSONVILLE — A Texas A&M senior from Jacksonville died in a car crash on Thursday traveling north bound on F.M. 39, two miles south of Normangee.

Witness reports say Joseph Villavisencio, 22, swerved to avoid a buzzard and veered head-on into the path of an 18-wheeler.

“The driver over-corrected, causing him to cross into the southbound lane,” communication dispatcher with the Texas Department of Public Safety in Bryan said.

Before the accident, Villavisencio spent part of Thursday with the team delivering gifts to families at a local shelter after the Aggies finished their last workout on campus in preparation for the Meineke Car Care Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

Villavisencio was heading to his home in Jacksonville at the time of the crash.

Villavisencio was an offensive lineman for the Aggies and his former coach Mike Sherman said everyone will remember him as a person “who would do anything for anybody.”

Bull Byrne, Texas A&M director athletics, said in a press release that “Joey always  always had a smile on his face and had such a positive influence on everyone.”

“This is a sad day for Texas A&M and our hearts are broken for his family, his teammates and his friends,” he said.

Nathan Jones, president of Austin Bank, said he knew the Vallivisencio family through his son Christopher, who was Villavisencio's roommate. He described Villavisencio has a fine young man.

“Joe represented the best in all of us,” he said. “As a parent, I could not have asked for a better roommate and friend for my son Christopher these last three years at Texas A&M. We loved Big Joe.”

“The loss is devastating and I can’t imagine the profound grief (for his father) Victor, (mother) Christine and (sister) Mikaela must be experiencing. We are heartbroken. God give them strength.”

Villavisencio was a radiological health engineer major.

 “Although his life on this Earth was way too short, his impact on the people he met will be everlasting,” Sherman said. “I will never forget him.”

The Associated Press contributed to this article