Travis County authorities confirmed the identities of three individuals who perished in an 18-vehicle collision on I-35 in North Austin last week. As reported by CBS Austin, the deceased included Sergieo Daniel Lopez, 32, Natalia Helena Perez, 25, and Ma Concepcion Joaquin De Joaquin, the 78-year-old. The March 13th accident claimed a total of five lives, two of whom were children whose names have not been disclosed.
The driver at the center of the tragic event, Solomun Weldekeal Araya, is facing multiple charges of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault. According to an arrest affidavit, detailed by FOX 7 Austin, Araya was allegedly influenced by depressants at the time of the crash. Despite claims of brake failure, commercial vehicle inspectors found no mechanical issues with the truck, adding weight to the intoxication theory.
Factual accounts from witnesses suggest the semi-truck surged through slowed traffic near a construction zone without deceleration, rambling forth for about a tenth of a mile, smiting multiple vehicles. Araya’s professional record raised additional concerns, marked by multiple hours-of-service violations and prior hazardous moving violations while at the helm of commercial vehicles…