A 36-year-old man was killed on US 75 in Richardson after getting out of his car near the center concrete divider following an initial crash, and a third vehicle then struck him along with another driver who had also stepped out. Michael Barrera, identified as the driver of an Infiniti sedan, was pronounced dead at the scene after the collision late Sunday night forced authorities to shut down all southbound lanes of the busy expressway for hours.
According to WFAA, the chain of events began when a Ford pickup truck suffered a blown tire while moving slowly in the southbound left lane of the 100 block of South Central Expressway near Belt Line Road. Barrera's Infiniti struck the pickup from behind, according to preliminary police information cited by The Dallas Express, and both vehicles came to a stop in the left lane. The crash happened at approximately 8:55 p.m. Sunday, and Richardson Police received several 911 calls reporting a major wreck on the corridor.
Drivers Got Out Near the Divider Before Third Car Arrived
Police said the Ford pickup driver, the Infiniti driver, and an Infiniti passenger all exited their vehicles after the initial impact. Barrera then stood near the center concrete divider, per the same report, as a Volkswagen sedan approached the two stopped vehicles. According to police, the Volkswagen driver took evasive action to avoid hitting the disabled cars but ended up striking both the Ford pickup and its driver, as well as Barrera.
The pickup driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a hospital by paramedics, the report notes. Neither the Infiniti passenger nor the Volkswagen driver was injured in the crash. Barrera did not survive; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Freeway Shut Down for Hours During Investigation
The secondary crash forced emergency crews to close all southbound lanes of US 75 overnight for several hours while police investigated, as the station reported. US 75, also known as North Central Expressway, is a primary north-south artery linking North Dallas and Collin County, making the closure a significant disruption for overnight commuters and travelers. Richardson's Special Crash Investigation Team responded to the scene and will complete the investigation, according to the report.
That specialized unit has previously relied on 3D FARO Technologies forensic mapping equipment to reconstruct severe collision scenes for case files submitted to prosecutors, as Hoodline previously reported. It is unclear whether the Volkswagen driver will face charges or citations connected to Sunday's crash, and dossier reporting does not indicate whether any of the vehicles involved carried dashcam footage that could aid investigators.
A Familiar and Deadly Pattern on This Stretch of Freeway
Sunday's fatal crash echoes a chain-reaction wreck on southbound US 75 near President George Bush Turnpike in Richardson in November 2024, when occupants of a stalled SUV stood outside their vehicle on the highway. That crash killed three people and injured seven, according to CBS News, and shut down the freeway for nine hours. Hoodline has also reported that pedestrian and dismounted-occupant safety remains a persistent challenge along the North Central Expressway corridor, citing regional data tracking highway corridor fatalities.
Texas law requires drivers involved in freeway crashes in metropolitan areas to move drivable vehicles out of active lanes under what's commonly called the “Steer It, Clear It” law, according to Texas Transportation Code Section 550.022. Separately, the state's Move Over or Slow Down law requires drivers approaching stopped emergency, utility, or tow vehicles with flashing lights to change lanes or slow to 20 mph below the posted limit, with first-offense fines reaching up to $1,250 after 2023 legislative updates, per the Texas Department of Transportation.
Local Safety Push Doesn't Reach the Freeway's Main Lanes
Richardson has been working to reduce severe crashes citywide through its “Safer Streets Richardson” action plan, which recorded 6,292 total traffic crashes across the city between 2020 and 2024, including 195 fatal or serious injury collisions, according to Community Impact. But that same reporting notes the plan excludes main lanes of major freeways like US 75 and the President George Bush Turnpike, since those roadways fall under state and regional tollway control rather than municipal jurisdiction. The Wooley Law Firm has separately noted that stretches of US 75 near major interchanges such as Belt Line Road see elevated risks of severe rear-end and chain-reaction crashes due to sudden speed changes and heavy lane merging.
