I-35 deadly multi-vehicle crash: New details on crash that killed 5, hospitalized 11

AUSTIN, Texas - Court paperwork has revealed new details about the deadly multi-vehicle crash in North Austin on Thursday night.

The crash involved 18 vehicles, including a semi-truck, and killed five people and hospitalized 11 others.

Solomun Weldekeal Araya, 37, was arrested and charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault in connection with the crash.

What happened on March 13?

The backstory:

Austin police say 17 people and 18 vehicles, including a semi-truck, were involved in the crash on I-35 southbound in North Austin near Parmer Lane and Howard Lane.

APD says the initial call was received at around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 13.

The accident stretched more than a tenth of a mile, which is about 500 feet.

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Five people, including a child and an infant, were pronounced dead at the scene; 11 others were transported to local hospitals. Two adults with life-threatening injuries were taken to St. David's Round Rock. 

All lanes reopened at around 1 p.m. March 14, according to TxDOT. Tolls had been waived in the area while crews cleared the scene.

The crash also happened in an active construction work zone, which reduced the lanes of travel in the area from three to one.

New details about the crash, victims

What we know:

Court paperwork regarding the intoxication manslaughter charge has revealed new details about the crash.

After the crash, multiple witnesses told police that all traffic was nearly stopped when a yellow truck tractor towing a semi-trailer with an Amazon logo did not slow down and plowed through over a dozen vehicles.

The truck-tractor continued for about a tenth of a mile after hitting the first vehicle, striking others in its path. One witness involved in the crash told police he "heard a loud sound and then saw vehicles flying behind him."

The crash involved 18 vehicles in total, including a box truck, two truck tractors, two semi-trailers and 13 passenger cars.

One of the vehicles struck from behind by the truck tractor was a sedan with four people inside. All four, two adults and two children, were pronounced dead at the scene and the damage to the vehicle was so severe, Austin fire personnel had to use specialized tools to extract them.

Another vehicle involved was a pickup that contained three people. The truck was hit so hard in the rear that the bed was impacted into the passenger cabin, causing the rear seats to nearly collide with the front seats. The left rear passenger, a 78-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the truck was taken to a local trauma center with serious bodily injuries, including fractured ribs and spine, kidney lacerations and an internal head bleed.

Another sedan occupied by two adults was completely crumpled by the impact of the truck tractor, and the driver was trapped and had to be extracted by the fire department. He was taken to a local trauma center with serious injuries, including internal bleeding in the head and chest and multiple broken bones.

New details about the driver, truck tractor

What we know:

APD inspected the truck tractor and did not find any braking issues or vehicle defects that could have contributed to the crash.

Texas DPS looked at the driver's Hours of Service (HOS) logs, noting several violations during the prior week. The driver also has multiple past inspections noting similar violations and prior hazardous moving violations while operating commercial vehicles.

In Texas, drivers in intrastate commerce (within the state) can drive up to 12 hours following eight consecutive off-duty hours. They may not drive after being on duty for 15 hours, following eight consecutive hours off duty. Drivers also cannot drive after having worked and/or driven for 70 hours in any consecutive seven-day period and can restart that period after taking 34 or more consecutive off-duty hours.

The driver of the truck-tractor was detained at the scene after an officer was told by a witness that one of the involved drivers was trying to leave. The officer then saw a man hiding in the private cabin area of the truck and peeking his head out of the curtains. 

The driver was detained and identified as Solomun Weldekeal Araya. The affidavit says he spoke mostly Tigrinya, a language spoken in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia, but also understood and spoke English.

Weldekeal Araya told officers he had been driving in the center lane when another vehicle cut him off. He said he tried to slam on the brakes, but they did not activate.

In the affidavit, officers say they observed his eyes were bloodshot and watery, and his speech was mumbled. Weldekeal Araya told officers he was coming from Dallas and was headed to San Antonio and had been driving for about two hours. 

He said he had not consumed any alcohol, did not have any medical or physical issues, and did not take any medications or drugs. He also said he had slept all night and had taken a three-hour nap earlier in the day.

A field sobriety test showed he could not keep his balance or focus on instructions, and that he was swaying from side to side and front to back. Officers also noticed eyelid tremors and determined based on the test results that, due to a drug or controlled substance, he did not have the normal use of his mental and physical faculties to safely operate a motor vehicle.

Weldekeal Araya was then arrested for driving while intoxicated and taken to a local hospital for evaluation. Results from the evaluation led investigators to believe he was under the influence of depressants.

NTSB investigates I-35 crash

The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to Austin to investigate the scene of the crash.

What's next:

A preliminary report should be available online in about a month.

A final report is due out in about 12 to 24 months.

Crime and Public SafetyNorth Austin