Man charged with intoxication manslaughter after 17-vehicle Texas crash claims 5 lives

A man was charged with intoxication manslaughter after a late-night wreck in Austin, Texas, involved over a dozen vehicles on Interstate 35, resulting in the deaths of five people, including three adults, a child, and an infant. Eleven others were injured and taken to hospitals. Solomun Weldekeal Araya, 37, was charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault. The southbound lanes of I-35 were closed following the crash, which left a stretch of the interstate littered with mangled vehicles and debris. The circumstances that led to the wreck have not been detailed by police, who are still early in the investigation. The collision was described as “very large and very complex.” Edgar Viera, who was nearby at the time of the crash, tried to help those involved despite not having the proper tools to open the vehicles. The southbound lanes of I-35 were closed following the crash and remained closed into Friday before reopening at about 1 p.m. The suspect is in custody at Travis County Jail, and it was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.