SAN ANTONIO, Texas – San Antonio police investigators are working to determine what went wrong behind the wheel for a driver traveling along a Southwest Side highway.
That driver, who originally was heading south on SW Loop 410 near Medina Base Road, was killed in the crash Friday morning.
“Witnesses are saying at some point, (the car) may have crossed under the barrier, the wire, come into the northbound lanes,” said Sgt. Michael Moore with SAPD.
When the car reached the opposite side of the highway, it collided with the back axle of an 18-wheeler and burst into flames, police said.
“The car was split. There’s one part of the car right there. The other part is up close to the bridge,” Moore said, pointing to the wreckage.
The car was damaged so badly that police were not able to say right away what type of vehicle it was.
In the middle of the wreckage, however, was one car seat that appeared to have no damage at all.
The big rig driver was not hurt. Police said he stopped his truck and was cooperating with investigators.
As of Friday afternoon, the name of the car driver who was killed had not been identified.
“This is a constant area where there’s an accident,” said Gilda Vasquez-Ramos, who watched the aftermath from the window of a nearby car repair shop. “This is the first time I’ve seen it so horrific.”
Vasquez-Ramos says she, herself, has had close calls with other drivers who seem to be distracted.
“Whether it be them being on the phone or texting at the same time, or someone cuts you off,” she said.
In this deadly crash, police were not sure what led the driver to go off course, whether he may have had a medical episode or, perhaps, was distracted by something.
The investigation is continuing.