On today’s date, at approximately 11:20am, a minor accident occurred in the 900 block of I-35 South (in the southbound main lanes) involving a white pickup truck and a maroon New Braunfels Fire Department (Fire Marshal) SUV. Those two vehicles pulled over to the inside shoulder of the highway and waited for police and fire crews to arrive. A NBFD fire engine was then used to block two lanes of traffic leading up to the accident while crews worked the scene.
A few minutes later, at approximately 11:35am, a 33-year old Austin woman was traveling southbound in a blue Honda CRV. The driver swerved into the inside shoulder to avoid striking the fire engine and came to a sudden stop. A gray 3-wheel Harley Davidson motorcycle was traveling behind the SUV and also took evasive action but slammed into the back of the Honda CRV at a high rate of speed. The driver of the motorcycle, a 68-year old Austin man, was thrown from the vehicle and suffered life-threatening injuries. He was not wearing a helmet.
All of the southbound main lanes of I-35 were closed in that area, Airlife landed directly on the highway, and the motorcyclist was flown to the San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC) where he was later pronounced deceased. As of this release, next of kin has not yet been notified so the identity of the driver is being withheld. The female driver of the SUV sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported by ground EMS to Christus New Braunfels Hospital.
The New Braunfels Police Department Traffic Unit conducted a full investigation at the scene, which kept the main lanes closed for approximately 2 hours. The investigation is ongoing.