Latest news with #SolomunWeldekealAraya
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
NTSB says trucker in deadly Texas crash didn't stop for slowed traffic
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.' The post NTSB says trucker in deadly Texas crash didn't stop for slowed traffic appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
Truck driver in fatal I-35 crash allegedly under influence of drugs, affidavit says
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The driver of a semi-truck that police believe killed five people when the vehicle smashed into nearly stopped traffic on Interstate 35 last week was allegedly under the influence of drugs, according to the driver's arrest affidavit. The Austin Police Department identified the driver as 37-year-old Solomun Weldekeal Araya. He was charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and two counts of intoxication assault with vehicle involving serious bodily injury in connection with the crash. Arrest made after crash kills at least 5 people, shuts down I-35 in north Austin As of Monday afternoon, Araya didn't have an attorney listed to represent him in court records. KXAN will reach out for a statement on the accusations when attorney information is available. Five people died, and 11 people were injured in the crash, which happened March 13 on I-35 near Parmer and Howard Lane. The crash involved 18 vehicles, including one box truck, two truck tractors, two semi-trailers and 13 passenger cars, court records said. According to the affidavit, witnesses told investigators 'all traffic was nearly stopped when a yellow truck tractor towing a semi-trailer with an Amazon logo did not slow down and plowed through over a dozen vehicles.' Once the crashed into the first vehicle, it 'continued for approximately 1/10 of a mile while striking additional vehicles stopped in traffic.' One of the vehicles struck was a silver Volkswagen Sedan with four people inside. Among the four in the vehicle were two adults and two juveniles. Police previously identified a baby as one of the victims. They were all pronounced dead on the scene, according to the affidavit. No one has been identified yet by officials, court records said. A green Chevrolet pickup was also involved in the crash, which had three people inside. The left rear passenger in the pickup was pronounced dead at the scene. That person was only identified as a 78-year-old woman. The driver of that truck has serious injuries, according to Araya's affidavit. Fatal I-35 crash: NTSB provides second update on its investigation A driver of a Toyota sedan was also mentioned in the affidavit as someone with serious injuries. Police say he had to get extracted from the vehicle. An APD officer with the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (CVE) unit responded to the crash to perform an inspection on the truck tractor driven by Araya. That investigation revealed there were no 'braking issues with the truck or trailer and all braking components appeared operational,' according to the affidavit. The inspection concluded there were 'no vehicle defects that would have contributed to this collision.' After the crash, multiple witnesses told officials 'one of the drivers was trying to leave.' The witness pointed to Araya's truck, where he was seen 'hiding in the personal cabin area of the truck, peeking his head out from the curtains.' An officer told Araya to exit the truck tractor, and he was detained. The Texas Department of Public Safety also conducted an investigation, where Araya's Hours of Service (HOS) logs revealed he had 'several HOS violations during the previous 7 days,' according to the affidavit. Past inspections also documented 'similar HOS violations as well as prior hazardous moving violations' while operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), court records said. Once detained, Araya took field sobriety tests, an evaluation for drugs and an exam. This all happened around 2:15 a.m., which was more than two and a half hours after the crash. This part of the investigation revealed Araya had Central Nervous System (CNS) depressants in his system. Therefore, Araya 'was unable to operate a motor vehicle safely,' according to the affidavit. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
Trucker charged in 17-car collision in Texas that killed 5
One man has been arrested as authorities continue to investigate the cause of a crash that killed five people Thursday on Interstate 35 in Austin, Texas. Authorities said 17 vehicles were involved, including a tractor-trailer hauling goods for Amazon, in the accident that happened around 11:30 p.m. in the southbound lanes of I-35. Five people were pronounced dead on the scene, including a child and an infant. Eleven others were taken to hospitals. Solomun Weldekeal Araya, 37, the Dallas-based driver of the tractor-trailer, was arrested Friday by the Austin Police Department and charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication information shows the truck carrying the Amazon haul failed to slow for traffic that had backed up in a temporary work zone for an I-35 expansion project, National Transportation Safety Board investigators said. 'The truck that initiated the crash sequence was registered to a for-hire carrier, ZBN Transport LLC, out of Dallas, Texas,' Kenny Bragg, an NTSB investigator, said during a news conference on Sunday. 'In the coming days, the team will continue to document this temporary work zone, conduct a detailed mechanical inspection of the striking truck and collect further information from witnesses. We will also be looking into the truck driver's employment history as a commercial driver, his entire driving history to include crash history and traffic violations, as well as his medical history for factors that may have influenced his driving.' Officials for ZBN Transport LLC did not return a message seeking comment from FreightWaves on Monday. ZBN Transport told KXAN that Araya had been with their company for four months and passed background officials confirmed that ZBN Transport was contracting a load for the e-commerce company.'This is a horrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with all those involved. We're looking into this further and will cooperate with all investigations,' Amazon spokeswoman Maureen Lynch Vogel told the Austin American-Statesman. The post Trucker charged in 17-car collision in Texas that killed 5 appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Yahoo
NTSB to provide update on Thursday night I-35 crash that killed 5 people
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The National Transportation Safety Board on Saturday will hold a media briefing to provide more details on the Thursday night I-35 crash that resulted in an arrest and five people being killed. The crash occurred near Parmer and Howard Lanes and resulted in the death of three adults, one child and one infant, according to first responders. Solomun Weldekeal Araya, 37, was charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle along with other charges, according to the Austin Police Department. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Yahoo
Deadly crash on I-35 in N. Austin: What we know about fatal semi-truck collision
A deadly semitrailer crash Thursday on Interstate 35 in North Austin has spurred a series of questions from the public and news media. Some of those should be answered Saturday afternoon when the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the collision, is expected to hold a news conference. One person has been arrested in the collision that killed five people, including an infant and a child, and injured at least a dozen others. At least 17 vehicles were involved and the crash occurred shortly after 11:30 p.m. on southbound I-35 near Parmer Lane, police initially said. An Austin police officer later wrote in an affidavit that 19 vehicles were involved. Semitruck driver Solomun Weldekeal Araya, 37, was charged with several counts of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault in connection to the crash. Social media is abuzz with photos and video from the scene but little else is known about Araya or what exactly led up to the crash. A search warrant affidavit filed by Austin police provided a bit more information. Here's what we know and what we're trying to figure out: Police responded about 11:21 p.m. Thursday to the 12900 block of North Interstate 35 southbound, according to the affidavit. A 2016 Volvo 18-wheeler — believed to have been driven by Araya — in the center lane failed to brake as traffic slowed. The truck then crashed into several other motorists, police say, killing five and injuring a dozen. Araya was reportedly the only person in the truck. He told authorities at the scene that a car cut him off and that he tried to stop but the brakes "did not activate," police wrote in the affidavit. A total of 17 people were hurt in the crash, five of them fatally. In the affidavit, police say the injuries range from "major" to "life threatening." They were transported to several different local hospitals, according to Austin-Travis County Emergency Management Services. The victims have not yet been identified but police say two minors, including an infant and child, and three adults were killed. Araya resides in Dallas, according to public records, and reportedly delivered Amazon packages for a third-party company named ZBN Transport. The owner of ZBN Transport confirmed to the American-Statesman that Araya had worked at the company for about four months. An Amazon spokesperson confirmed to other media outlets Friday that one of the company's trucks was involved in the crash but it did not say if the driver was Araya or if Araya worked directly for the company. Authorities indicated in the affidavit that Araya was swaying but seemed "very calm and relaxed given the situation." He failed at least one portion of six sobriety tests, according to the affidavit. A detective who spoke with Araya agreed with the original responding officer that Araya displayed signs of impairment. "(The detective) believes the driver is under the influence CNS depressants and is not capable of operating a vehicle safely," the affidavit says. Araya blew a 0.00 on a preliminary breath test but it's unclear if he underwent and additional drug testing. Questions persist around the identities of the victims, the driver's background and training and even the company he was working for at the time. The Statesman is trying to gather more information about Araya's background and employment. Most of this information should come out as court proceedings take place but questions we're asking is: Did the truck driver have a valid commercial drivers license; if so, where did he obtain it? Was he under the influence of any substances — illegal, pharmaceutical or otherwise — at the time of the crash? Did road conditions, including ongoing construction, or other external factors play a role in the crash? This story will be updated as more information becomes available. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: I-35 crash in North Austin: What we know about driver, victims
