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One killed, one critically injured in North Austin crash

By and
Published  February 11, 2020 4:52am CST
North Austin
FOX 7 Austin

One killed, one critically injured in North Austin crash

A fiery crash in north Austin leaves one dead and another in critical condition.

AUSTIN, Texas - A fiery crash in north Austin leaves one dead and another in critical condition.

“A single collision vehicle collision 911 call was placed where they there they stated the vehicle was on fire,” said Austin police officer Andrew Cobb.
 
Police cars blocked off the Mopac service road Tuesday morning near the Arbor Walk shopping center as they investigated the crash.

“Arriving officers located the vehicle where it was occupied by 2 personals,” said Cobb.
 
According to police, the driver was traveling eastbound on Capital of Texas highway and was crossing over the bridge over Mopac, an area where drivers must turn left, where they went straight into the barrier ahead.

"The driver was pronounced deceased on scene,” said Cobb.
 
Crews worked quickly to not only put out the fire but save the passenger inside.

“AFD was able to extract the passenger, a female listed in critical condition at Round Rock hospital,” said Cobb.

One person killed after overnight crash in North Austin

A man is dead and a woman is in critical condition after an overnight crash in North Austin.

Those who work in the area feel it can be easy for someone not familiar with this particular bridge to get confused.

“It's a very simple light, it guides you to the left, but if you're not paying attention like you're on the phone or doing something else you're going to go straight,” said Erasmo Alejo.

This is very similar to a fatal crash that happened about four years ago when a car holding four people crashed right into the barrier. From there the car landed in the nearby shopping district and caught fire, killing everyone on board. In this case, police believe high speed to be a factor as it takes a lot of force to break the barricade. Many of the nearby businesses were without power following that crash. Today a memorial stands near the site and up on the bridge a sign with an arrow can be found.

Alejo said incidents like this are tragic but he's not sure what could be done to make the area safer.

After every fatal crash on a state road, the Texas Department of Transportation does a survey to see what could be done in order to prevent future fatalities.