Injured driver charged with intoxication manslaughter after fatal crash

Injured driver charged with intoxication manslaughter after fatal Central Austin crash

Two people were ejected from the car and died. The driver was taken to the hospital seriously injured.

AUSTIN, Texas - Two people died and an injured man was charged with intoxication manslaughter after an early morning crash in Central Austin Thursday.

Austin-Travis County EMS say the single-vehicle crash happened on West 41st Street and Medical Parkway at approximately 1:30 a.m.

Two people were ejected from the car and died. The driver, Tristen Reyna, 24, was taken to the hospital seriously injured. Austin police say he has been charged with intoxication manslaughter.

Two people killed in early morning crash

The crash happened around 1:30 a.m. at West 41st and Medical Parkway.

According to police, impaired drivers are responsible for one-third of crash fatalities in Austin. TxDOT data states a quarter of all traffic fatalities in Texas were DUI related in 2020. Impaired drivers were responsible for five percent of all traffic crashes in the state the same year.

"There is nothing good that comes out of drunk driving. We want people to understand that." said Christopher Bishop of TxDOT.

The Austin Police Department was recently forced to disband its DWI unit. Next week the department will begin its longest-running "no-refusal initiative." Officers can secure a blood search warrant for anyone suspected of driving intoxicated through September 2022.

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