Deadly 17-vehicle crash in Austin leaves 5 dead; Police arrest, charge driver

AUSTIN, Texas - A man was arrested and charged with causing a deadly 17-vehicle crash on I-35 in North Austin late Thursday night.

Five people were killed in the crash, including an infant and child.

Solomun Weldekeal Araya, 37, was arrested and charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault.

He is being held in the Travis County Jail.

Records show he was due in court next week in Wilmer, in the Dallas area, for going 63 mph where the speed limit was 30 mph.

What happened?

The backstory:

Austin police say 17 people and 17 vehicles, including a semi-truck, were involved in the crash on I-35 southbound in North Austin near Parmer Lane and Howard Lane.

APD says the initial call was received at around 11:30 p.m. on March 13.

The accident stretched more than a tenth of a mile, which is about 500 feet.

Five people, including a child and an infant, were pronounced dead at the scene; 11 others were transported to local hospitals.

Two adults with life-threatening injuries were taken to St. David's Round Rock. 

All lanes reopened at around 1 p.m., according to TxDOT. Tolls had been waived in the area while crews cleared the scene.

Local perspective:

Krista Castro and Jesus Lozano were traveling from Dallas to Mexico. They had minor neck pain from the crash. 

"We were waiting for traffic to move forward. We were in the right lane when you suddenly heard [the crash sound]. My husband looked through, saw in the rearview mirror, and there was an Amazon trailer that came through and crashed into all the cars. It didn't stop. We didn't know if it had brakes or not. It just kept crashing into everything. My husband tried to move over when he saw it, but it still hit us in the rear of the car. We saw another car in front of us. We were on the tail end of the crash. Those whose cars were more damaged were behind us," Castro said in Spanish. 

"I was honestly in shock. I didn't really know what was going on. I was able to move over. Thank God nothing severe happened to us, but a few of those involved behind us unfortunately did not survive," Lozano said in Spanish. 

What we don't know:

Witnesses said they saw an Amazon truck involved in the deadly crash. At this time, it is unclear whether Araya was the one driving the Amazon truck. 

When FOX 7 Austin asked APD if Araya was driving the truck, they responded:

"We are still very early in the investigation. There are no further details available for release at this time."

What they're saying:

The NTSB, in coordination with the Austin Police Department, has opened a safety investigation into the deadly crash. 

According to the NTSB, the investigation team will include experts in highway, survival and vehicle factors; human performance; and motor carrier factors. 

What you can do:

For anyone needing to speak with APD Victim Services regarding the crash, please call 512-974-5037 or email victim.services@austintexas.gov. 

Victim Services counselors are available to assist.

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