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Driver arrested after 17-vehicle crash in Texas

Posted by: Semere Asmelash

Date: Tuesday, 18 March 2025

Driver arrested after 17-vehicle crash in Texas

Solomun Weldekeal Araya was arrested and charged in the deadly 17 vehicle car crash in Austin, Texas on March 13, 2025.
Solomun Weldekeal Araya was arrested and charged in the deadly 17-vehicle car crash in Austin, Texas on March 13, 2025.Austin Police Department
-The driver was detained and identified as Solomun Weldekeal Araya. The affidavit says he spoke mostly Tigrinya, a language spoken in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia, but also understood and spoke English.


The Brief

    • Court paperwork has revealed new details about a deadly multi-vehicle crash in North Austin.
    • Five people, including a child, an infant and an elderly woman, were killed in the crash that involved 18 vehicles on I-35.
    • One man has been charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault in connection with the crash.

Police in Austin, Texas arrested a suspect Friday following a 17-vehicle crash that left five people dead, including a child and an infant.

Solomun Araya, 37, is now facing five counts of Intoxication Manslaughter and two counts of Intoxication Assault following the massive pileup late Thursday night in the North Austin area. Police said Araya is being held at the Travis County Jail.

Austin-Travis County EMS previously said several people were “pinned in their vehicles” following the wreck, which involved a semi-truck and also left 12 people injured. A police spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Araya was driving the truck.

“5 patients (3 adults, 1 child, 1 infant) have been pronounced deceased on scene,” Austin-Travis County EMS wrote on X. 

Of the 12 people who were injured, three of them were children, officials said. 

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. 

The NTSB, in coordination with the Austin Police Department, announced on Friday it had opened a safety investigation into the wreck.

“The investigation go team will include experts in highway, survival and vehicle factors; human performance; and motor carrier factors,” the NTSB posted on X.

NTSB Vice Chairman Alvin Brown will be spokesperson on scene.

Destroyed vehicles sit on the roadway following the crash.
Destroyed vehicles sit on the roadway following the crash.KVUE
Police investigate the aftermath of the multi-car collision.
Police investigate the aftermath of the multi-car collision.KVUE

The portion of I-35 southbound where the crash happened appeared to be closed Friday. 

“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,” the Austin Police Department wrote on X. 

Austin-Travis County EMS Captain Christa Stedman told CBS Austin that “This incident was incredibly chaotic, and it was spread out over about a 10th of a mile.  

The NTSB, in coordination with the Austin Police Department, announced on Friday it had opened a safety investigation into the wreck.
The NTSB, in coordination with the Austin Police Department, announced on Friday it had opened a safety investigation into the wreck.KVUE
Austin-Travis County EMS Captain Christa Stedman told CBS Austin that "This incident was incredibly chaotic, and it was spread out over about a 10th of a mile.  
Austin-Travis County EMS Captain Christa Stedman told CBS Austin that “This incident was incredibly chaotic, and it was spread out over about a 10th of a mile.  KVUE


“So without the collaboration of our partners, we would not have been able to manage the scene as well as we did,” she added. 

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

I-35 deadly multi-vehicle crash: New details on ...





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