A fatal accident occurred on Interstate 35 in Austin, Texas on Thursday evening, involving 17 vehicles. The wreckage led to the death of five people, including three adults, a child and an infant, with 11 others injured and taken to local hospitals.
A 37 -year -old man, Solomun Weldekeal Araya, was accused of manslaughter in intoxication after the incident. He faces five manslaughter managers and two charges of poisoning.
Araya is currently in detention in Travis County prison, but it is not immediately clear if it has a lawyer. Prison files have not listed a lawyer for him.
The authorities have not yet disclosed the circumstances leading to the accident. Police said in an email on Friday that the investigation was still at its beginnings and that no other information was available.
The tracks south of the I-35 were closed after the accident and remained closed until 1 p.m. Friday. The wreck has left a section of the motorway strewn with mutilated vehicles and debris.
“The collision was very large and very complex,” said policeman Austin Zarling at a press conference early in the morning.
Edgar Viera, who was in a nearby store when he heard the accident, told NBC KXAN in Austin that he had rushed to help people involved.
“We did not have the appropriate tools to open vehicles, so we just did what we could,” said Viera. “It was difficult to see this.”
