According to police, Solomun Araya showed signs of intoxication following the crash. The affidavit states Araya had bloodshot and watery eyes, mumbled speech and swayed while walking and turning, consistent with signs of central nervous system (CNS) depressants. Witnesses reported that an 18-wheeler driven by Araya failed to brake before it slammed into stopped traffic. Araya allegedly hit a total of 19 vehicles in the crash that killed five people, including two children.
Araya allegedly told police the crash happened because another vehicle cut him off, stating that he had not consumed any alcohol before the incident. A preliminary breathalyzer exam showed Araya had a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.00, however, Araya still showed “all six” signs of intoxication and failed a field sobriety exam.
Court records also show that Araya was accused of speeding in Wilmer. He was due in court next week.A bond has been set for Araya totaling $1.2 million – $200,000 for each intoxication manslaughter charge and $100,000 for each intoxication assault charge.
According to Austin Police Department data, the stretch of I-35 where the deadly crash happened from Wells Branch Parkway to Tech Ridge Boulevard has seen 10 fatal crashes since 2021, but it is not the only deadly stretch of I-35 in Austin. Similar stretches just South from Tech Ridge Boulevard to Rundberg Lane, Highway 290 to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Oltorf Street to William Cannon Drive have seen more crashes. The city said the stretch of I-35 in town sees 200,000 vehicle trips per day.
The deadly pile-up comes amid a push at the statehouse to make it harder to sue trucking companies. Lawmakers have filed multiple bills, including Senate Bill 30 and House Bill 4806, which critics say would cap how much someone could get from a trucking company in a situation like this. For instance, SB 30 would allow judges to lower jury verdicts over $1 million in wrongful death cases and $250,000 in personal injury cases.
In a statement, Texans for Lawsuit Reform referred to Friday’s crash as a “horrible tragedy.”
“Bills filed in the Texas Legislature this session that TLR supports will not prevent anyone involved in this tragic collision from pursuing a lawsuit, recovering all that is entitled to them from the driver and the company that hired the driver, and even recovering damages to punish both the driver and company if appropriate,” TLR President and General Counsel Lee Parsley said. The group defended the need for legislation to curb high jury verdicts.
“The bills, however, will prevent plaintiff lawyers from pursuing lawsuits that lack merit, which will help alleviate congestion in our courts so that legitimate lawsuits can move forward quickly and in a fair environment,” Parsley said.
