A multi-car crash in Austin, Texas, has claimed the lives of five people, including a child and an infant.
Videos by Suggest
On Thursday, March 13, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services reported on X to responding to a multi-vehicle collision involving a semi-truck. The incident occurred at 11:23 p.m.
“Vehicle Rescue at 13100 N Ih 35 Sb. #ATCEMS & @AustinFireInfo are on scene of a collision involving multiple vehicles and a semi-truck, with at least 7 patients involved, several who are pinned in their vehicles,” they wrote. “Expect #ATXTraffic delays in the area, more information to follow.”
In a later update, they confirmed that five people—three adults, one child, and one infant—died at the scene. Austin Travis County Medical Services reported a total of 17 patients, with 11 transported to the hospital for injuries ranging from minor to critical and life-threatening.
Three of the 11 individuals were children, all transported to Dell Children’s Medical Center. One child sustained potentially life-threatening injuries, while the other two suffered only minor harm.
The Deadly Texas Crash Reportedly Involved an 18-wheeler
According to CBS Austin, officials reported that the crash involved an 18-wheeler with a ruptured saddle tank. Although the truck did not catch fire, another vehicle did. A quick-thinking good Samaritan used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames before the Austin Fire Department arrived on the scene.
Austin Police Department also took to X to issue a statement following the tragic crash.
“APD officers are responding to a collision involving multiple vehicles in the area of 3100 N IH 35 SB (between Parmer Ln & Howard Ln),” the department wrote. “All lanes of N IH 35 SB are shut down and will be for several hours. Please avoid the area, expect delays, and find alternate routes. #ATXtraffic.”
Captain Christa Stedman of ATCEMS explained how they worked with partner agencies to respond to the incident.
“This incident was incredibly chaotic and it was spread out over about a 10th of a mile. So without the collaboration of our partners, we would not have been able to manage the scene as well as we did,” Stedman explained. “We were able to get all the predications off the scene within about 40 minutes. Considering how complex the scene was, that’s pretty impressive.”
Authorities are still investigating the incident.