At the start of the Labor Day holiday weekend Friday, a multi-car crash closed northbound and southbound lanes of I-35 in San Marcos. Police stated that two individuals died as a result. AAA estimated this would be one of the busiest travel weekends in recent memory drivers took to the roads for the unofficial end of summer.
Daily Record photos by Jason Martinez, top, and Gerald Castillo
Labor Day weekend collision closes I-35 north, south lanes
A multi-car crash on I-35 in San Marcos early Friday took the lives of two people.
The San Marcos Police Department, San Marcos Fire Department and Hays County Emergency Medical Services responded to the report of a collision involving four passenger vehicles and one semi tractor-trailer near Exit 205 at 7 a.m., according to city officials, in an email released Friday.
Police stated that a preliminary investigation indicated that a GMC truck traveling northbound on I-35 apparently lost control while changing lanes and collided with the semi-truck. The GMC truck traveled on and collided with a Ford Ranger truck.
A BMW traveling northbound then collided with the Ford Ranger. As a result of the collision, the GMC truck flipped over the center median into the southbound lanes of I-35, hitting a Dodge minivan, officials stated.
Traffic on both sides of the highway was halted for several hours as police and firefighters worked to free drivers and passengers from the vehicles.
A passenger in the GMC truck was pronounced deceased at the scene by Hays County Justice of the Peace Jo Anne Prado. The driver of the Dodge minivan was transported to Ascension Seton Hays hospital in Kyle and was pronounced deceased at the hospital, according to officials.
No other occupants involved in the crash required medical attention. At time of press, no names were available pending notification of next of kin.
Police said the crash is still under investigation.
