South Austin food truck crash survivor talks about experience
AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Police Department still has not provided an official update as to what led up to a major crash on Barton Springs Road that injured 11 people near a food truck on April 8.
Jesus Raul Moncada says he was waiting for the ice cream he bought from the truck that night when he became one of those victims.
"We went to the ice cream place as we usually do. We go there a lot.," said Moncada.
Holla Mode ice cream truck is a favorite for Moncada, his wife Esther, and their kids, so last Friday night was not unusual for him and his wife to make a pit spot for ice cream after dinner.
That night, Moncada says there was about a 20-minute wait since many others had the same idea, but he ordered anyway while his wife waited in the car. He believes he was only there for about five minutes when the crash happened.
"It seemed unreal for me. It was not even loud, like a silent screech of cars," said Moncada.
Unbeknownst to him, police say two cars were involved in a T-bone accident causing one of those cars to get pushed into the food truck area where Moncada and several other people were standing.
"Then next thing I remember, I was on the floor," he said.
He describes the aftermath as chaotic.
"It was just unreal. It's very scary to see that. I've never, yeah, never seen that. First thing I thought is, you know, let me call my wife," said Moncada
Esther said she ran out of the car and found her husband bleeding profusely. She said she was shocked, but all she could focus on was helping her husband of 17 years because her biggest fear was losing him.
"He was bleeding so much, so trying to find paper towels to try to find something to stop the bleeding," she said.
Moncada was taken to the hospital where he received five staples to the head. He was also kept in the hospital overnight for observation because of some internal bleeding.
Right now, he says he still does not know what truly happened and wants answers.
"I would love to know what happened to me. It is something that I've lost. Don't know what happened or why am I hurting in my legs? You know? I have no idea," he said.
He and his wife are glad he made it out alive and is here to tell his story, but they believe this whole situation could have easily been avoided. They hope drivers will be more careful on the road.
"We just got to be careful for the young people, but also for just anybody enjoying Austin. Right? It was a nice Austin night, and I was just trying to enjoy it and have a little bit of ice cream," he said.
Austin police told FOX 7 Austin that the investigation is ongoing.
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11 people injured following crash on Barton Springs Road, ATCEMS says
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