4 killed, several others injured after series of crashes in Central Texas
CENTRAL TEXAS - The first weekend of summer turned tragic on Central Texas roads.
"We’re in a time of year of what's called the 100 deadliest days," said AAA Texas spokesperson Daniel Armbruster.
Between Friday, June 21, and Monday, June 24, four people were killed, and many others were seriously hurt in a series of bad wrecks.
"Fatality-wise and just traffic injury related wise, this was a fairly busy weekend," said Austin-Travis County EMS Capt. Darren Noak.
The first crash happened on Friday night near Del Valle. Three cars crashed on Pearce lane, two of them rolled over. One person died, with another airlifted to a hospital.
Just hours later, early Saturday morning, a 32-year-old woman was killed on the 130 Tollway in Williamson County. Troopers say she was speeding when her car rear-ended a truck tractor.
"If you're exceeding the speed limits, which are already high in the first place, it becomes that more difficult to make corrective actions," said Noak.
On Saturday evening, one person was killed, and two others were hurt after a crash on FM 969 in East Travis County.
On Sunday night, nine people were hurt in a wreck on FM 1327 in Mustang Ridge. Two children were StarFlighted to Dell Children’s Hospital.
"It’s not every day that we have an incident that involves that many patients," said Noak.
Sadly, the weekend ended with a pedestrian hit and killed by a car in Northeast Austin. It happened around 6 a.m. on Monday on Cameron Road near Rundberg Lane.
AAA Texas warns walkers and drivers to watch out for each other, especially during the summer.
"You have a lot of pedestrians, a lot of people out and about on foot. And so you're going to have an increased chance of an auto-pedestrian type crash," said Armbruster.
Deadly crashes in general tend to spike between Memorial Day and Labor Day, especially deadly wrecks involving teenagers.
"A lot of this is preventable," said Noak.
Increased travel volume this summer in particular could push those numbers even higher.
"We’re getting ready for a record 4th of July travel coming up. So a lot of people are going to be on the roads over the next few weeks," said Armbruster.
That’s why local medics say those old safety reminders are more important than ever.
"Wear your seatbelt. Not driving distracted, obviously not driving under the influence," said Noak. "Watching your speed, and driving for the conditions of the road."
Another safety reminder for the summer: if you see emergency vehicles or a tow truck by the side of the road, move over or slow down. It’s the law in Texas.