Austin Personal Injury Attorney J. Gonzalez
by Benjamin Treviño | March 14th, 2025 | Auto Accident, Blog
How is liability determined in multi-vehicle crashes in Texas?
A recent horrific crash involving multiple cars in Austin raises the question of determining fault in such accidents. Even though one person has been arrested and accused of causing the chain-reaction crash, further investigation might show that multiple drivers may be partially liable.
The investigation
Determining liability in a crash involving several vehicles can be very difficult. Generally speaking, the driver who caused the first accident which triggered a multi-car pileup is considered to have caused all of the subsequent crashes. However, every driver has a duty of care to other motorists on the road. In some cases, other drivers can contribute to a multiple-vehicle crash by speeding, driving too fast for the weather conditions, being tired, or distracted.
This is why attorneys and insurance carriers will sometimes employ accident reconstruction experts to help them understand how the multi-car crash occurred and who is at fault.
Texas is a Comparative Negligence State
Texas operates with a 51% rule concerning comparative negligence. This means that if an individual is responsible for causing 51% or more of their own injuries, they won’t be able to recover compensation. However, if someone is 50% or less responsible for their incident, they are still in a position to recover compensation. Once investigations are complete, percentages of fault will be assigned to some or all of the drivers involved.
J. Gonzalez can clear the confusion
Confusion is a given when it comes to multi-vehicle accidents. Insurers and defense attorneys may try to shift blame. The person who caused the initial collision might be broke, might be in prison, might not have insurance, or all of the above.
If you have any questions regarding your legal rights in a multiple-car accident, contact J. Gonzalez today for a free consultation. Our expert team of personal injury attorneys are here to help you get your life back on track. You can reach us via this website, or by calling 1-800-CAR-CRASH.
Below you will find more information on the Austin multiple-vehicle crash that has torn apart the lives of more than a dozen families.
Man charged with intoxication manslaughter in fatal 17-vehicle car crash in N. Austin
By: Benjamin Treviño
AUSTIN – Austin police have arrested one man and charged him with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and two charges of intoxication assault in connection with a fatal March 13 multiple-vehicle crash on Interstate Highway 35.
Solomun Weldekeal Araya, 37, is accused of causing the pile up on southbound I-35 near Parmer Lane. The crash killed five people, including an infant and a child, and injured at least a dozen others.
First responders treated 17 patients from 17 different vehicles, including a semi-truck, according to Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, which reported five dead at the scene: one infant, one child and three adults.
“This incident was incredibly chaotic and spread out over about a tenth of a mile,” said Capt. Christa Stedman, a spokesperson for Austin-Travis County EMS.
Eleven other patients were transported to various hospitals, several with critical, life-threatening injuries, indicating the death toll could rise. The names and ages of the victims have not been made public.
Among the patients transported were two adults who were taken to St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center with critical, life-threatening injuries, three adults who were taken to Dell Seton Medical Center, two with critical, life-threatening injuries and one with minor injuries; three children who were taken to Dell Children’s Medical Center: one with potentially life-threatening injuries and two with minor injuries; and three adults who were transported to Seton Medical Center with minor injuries.
Solomun Weldekeal Araya, 37, was booked in the Travis County Jail on Friday, March 14.
The Austin Police Department and the National Transportation Safety Board were still investigating the crash as of this report.
