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Two people were killed in a truck accident on I-35 in Austin


AUSTIN, Texas—Emergency personnel responded to a three-vehicle crash in downtown Austin, Texas, around 8:30 a.m. near Exit 234 A on I-35. The accident involved a large truck and killed two people while injuring two others.

According to initial reports, one vehicle was found completely underneath the large truck, with both passengers trapped inside (each pronounced dead on the scene). Another vehicle was struck by the large truck, and both passengers were taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries.

The crash necessitated the closure of all southbound lanes of I-35 at 6th street in Austin, Texas, for several hours, causing major delays in traffic. Eventually, cars were detoured to a nearby frontage road as crews continued to clean the crash site.

The two living victims were transported to Dell Seton Medical Center. No information about the status of the truck driver has been released.

The accident is still under investigation. No other information about the crash was made immediately available.

Thoughts on the fatal truck accident that injured two and killed two

From pictures of the crash site, the large truck involved in this horrific accident appears to be a garbage truck. And although most of the details of the crash remain unknown, I believe it is important to note that the severity of this accident seems to be far beyond what could be considered “normal,” even when talking about fatal crashes. After all, one entire passenger vehicle was essentially swallowed up by the front of the garbage truck. A crash like this is not only a tragedy but a stark realization that we are only as safe as the other drivers on our roadways.

Garbage trucks can weigh upwards of 50,000 pounds when hauling trash and, given the unpredictability of what people discard in a week, the contents inside garbage trucks can shift easily, making the truck more difficult to stop. Garbage truck drivers should always be aware of the need for increased stopping distance. Additionally, the large trash collection companies that service large cities like Austin, Texas, should provide their drivers with ample education on how to operate a garbage truck safely.

Here, the garbage truck driver may have been following a smaller vehicle too closely to avoid a collision, or the driver may not have known of the dangers posed by driving such a large truck on a busy freeway interchange. Either way, the families of the two deceased victims, as well as the injured survivors, would likely be successful in bringing a direct claim against the garbage truck driver and/or the trash collection company for the pain and suffering caused by this accident.

To sort through some of the legal complexities of this accident, those impacted by the crash would need to consult an experienced attorney. An attorney specializing in motor vehicle accidents with large trucks would be able to look at company driving logs, hiring records, training procedures, and much more to determine whether the severity of this crash could have been lessened or avoided altogether.

Our firm offers legal strategies to help those involved with large truck accidents get the answers they deserve and the advice they need to move forward after experiencing such a life-changing event or losing a loved one unexpectedly to a crash. For instance, our firm has successfully represented families of semi-truck crash victims when large trucking companies have failed to educate their drivers on safety protocol or evasive driving. As some of these claims can be time-sensitive, we would encourage the families here to consult a reputable attorney to ensure the responsible parties are held accountable for their actions.

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