Sergieo Daniel Lopez, Natalia Helena Perez, and Ma Concepcion Joaquin De Joaquin die in fatal Austin I-35 crash
Fatal Austin I-35 crash death of Sergieo Daniel Lopez, Natalia Helena Perez, and Ma Concepcion Joaquin De Joaquin – Obituary
Authorities have identified three of the five individuals who lost their lives in a devastating 19-vehicle pileup on Interstate 35 in North Austin last week. The Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed on Tuesday that Sergieo Daniel Lopez, Natalia Helena Perez, and Ma Concepcion Joaquin De Joaquin were among those killed in the tragic accident. The identities of the other two victims remain unknown at this time.
The fatal collision occurred late Thursday night when the driver of an 18-wheeler, reportedly hauling goods for Amazon, failed to reduce speed as traffic condensed from three lanes to one. The truck barreled into the congestion, triggering a catastrophic chain reaction that claimed five lives, left a dozen others injured, and resulted in a complete shutdown of all southbound lanes for approximately 12 hours.
Authorities have arrested 37-year-old Solomun Weldekeal-Araya, who was behind the wheel of the semi-truck. He faces five counts of intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and two counts of intoxication assault. Currently, he remains in custody at the Travis County Jail with his bail set at $1.2 million.
According to an arrest affidavit, Weldekeal-Araya displayed multiple signs of impairment following the crash. Investigators suspect he was under the influence of central nervous system depressants, which include sedatives. However, preliminary breathalyzer results showed a 0.00 reading.
