The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a preliminary report for its investigation into a deadly semitruck crash on Interstate 35 in Austin, Texas, last month.
The incident on March 13 killed five people and injured others. The truck driver, Solomun Weldekeal Araya, was arrested the next day and charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter plus two counts of intoxication assault.
One injured individual has since sued the driver, transportation company and Amazon for over $100 million in damages.
Thursday’s NTSB report stated that lane closures from construction work the day of the incident had caused lines of traffic to form near mile marker 245.4 on I-35.
According to the report, a 2016 Volvo VNL truck-tractor combined with a 2022 CIMC Intermodal Equipment semitrailer operated by ZBN Transport LLC was southbound and did not stop when traffic ahead slowed.
The truck rear-ended a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta passenger car and a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. It continued another 0.1 miles, causing a pileup of 13 more vehicles before coming to a stop on the left shoulder of the road, NTSB said.
The report stated I-35 has six lanes – three northbound and three southbound – at this location. Just over 2 miles of short-term road work was underway when the incident occurred, and the speed limit was lowered from 70 mph to 60 mph along this section.
“As a result of the crash, all four occupants in the passenger car and one passenger in the pickup truck were fatally injured,” the report stated. “The other two occupants of the pickup truck and the other occupants in the crash-involved vehicles reported various injuries ranging from minor to serious. The driver of the combination vehicle was uninjured.”
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