Travis County authorities confirmed the identities of three individuals who perished in an 18-vehicle collision on I-35 in North Austin last week. As reported by CBS Austin, the deceased included Sergieo Daniel Lopez, 32, Natalia Helena Perez, 25, and Ma Concepcion Joaquin De Joaquin, the 78-year-old. The March 13th accident claimed a total of five lives, two of whom were children whose names have not been disclosed.
The driver at the center of the tragic event, Solomun Weldekeal Araya, is facing multiple charges of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault. According to an arrest affidavit, detailed by FOX 7 Austin, Araya was allegedly influenced by depressants at the time of the crash. Despite claims of brake failure, commercial vehicle inspectors found no mechanical issues with the truck, adding weight to the intoxication theory.
Factual accounts from witnesses suggest the semi-truck surged through slowed traffic near a construction zone without deceleration, rambling forth for about a tenth of a mile, smiting multiple vehicles. Araya's professional record raised additional concerns, marked by multiple hours-of-service violations and prior hazardous moving violations while at the helm of commercial vehicles.
The extensive crash occurred just before midnight and encompassed a diverse array of vehicles, including a box truck, two semis, and thirteen passenger cars. Within this vehicular tempest lay the sedan carrying four souls, its existence terminated upon impact, the occupants' fates sealed within. "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," FOX 7 Austin relayed about another unlucky vehicle caught in the calamity. Eleven survivors were dispatched to local hospitals bearing the scars of this violent encounter.
The misfortune sparked the interest of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which began a safety investigation into the accident. They are expected to release a preliminary report in roughly a month's time, with a thorough final report slated for somewhere between a year and two years from now.
