A two-vehicle crash at Pearce Lane and FM 973 on Saturday afternoon left one adult dead at the scene and sent two others to the hospital, according to Austin-Travis County EMS. Medics responded to the collision, reported around 4:22 pm, and found three patients total.
In an update posted to X, ATCEMS
said the crash involved two vehicles and three patients. Medics transported two adults to St. David's South Austin, with one suffering minor injuries and the other suffering serious injuries. The agency confirmed that a third adult was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The post, labeled “FINAL,” was published at 11:21 pm UTC Saturday and offered no additional information about what led to the crash. ATCEMS did not release details on the vehicles involved, the circumstances of the collision, or whether any investigation is underway.
A Stretch of Road With a Troubled History
Saturday's crash is the latest serious incident reported along FM 973, a corridor that has seen a string of deadly wrecks in recent years. In one prior case near Pearce Lane, investigators said a northbound pickup ran a red light and struck a Hyundai Elantra turning onto FM 973, a collision that killed 77-year-old Elvira Cadena Trujillo, according to CBS Austin. Those earlier incidents are separate events and are not connected to Saturday's crash, but they underscore a pattern of severe collisions along the same road.
Other wrecks on FM 973 have also turned deadly. KXAN reported that a crash in the 11700 block of North FM 973 left two vehicles with significant damage and multiple people in critical condition, and that 22-year-old Jennifer Hernandez of Kyle was pronounced dead at the scene. The outlet also detailed a separate two-vehicle crash on FM 973 near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport that triggered a trauma alert and sent at least two patients to the hospital.
In July 2025, the Austin Police Department responded to a single-vehicle collision at FM 973 and Spirit Drive, according to a statement posted by the Austin Police Department. That incident, like the others, remains a distinct case from Saturday's fatal crash.
Planned Road Widening Still Years Out
Transportation planners have floated widening projects for Pearce Lane that could eventually reshape the intersection where Saturday's crash occurred. A project description from Travis County outlines plans to widen Pearce Lane from FM 973 to Ross Road South, converting it from a two-lane undivided road without shoulders into a four-lane divided roadway with shoulders and a shared-use path on one side.
A separate document from the Texas Department of Transportation lists a 2030 timeline for widening Pearce Lane between FM 973 and Kellam Road to four divided lanes with bicycle and pedestrian facilities and curb and gutter.
For now, no information has been released about what caused Saturday's crash, whether citations were issued, or whether charges may follow. The City of Austin's active-incident page notes that traffic-related incident information is typically updated every five minutes, though no further details on this collision had been posted at the time of ATCEMS's final update.
