$150 Million in Lawsuits Filed Over Fatal I-35 Crash in Austin That Killed 5 and Injured Dozens

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Two major lawsuits, including one seeking over $100 million in damages, have been filed in connection to a deadly 18-vehicle crash on Interstate 35 in North Austin that killed five people and left at least a dozen others injured.

One of the lawsuits was filed by Nathan Jonard, a survivor of the March 13 crash, who alleges that driver negligence and corporate irresponsibility led to the massive collision. In a civil suit filed Thursday in Travis County, Jonard claims that Solomun Weldekeal Araya, the driver of a tractor-trailer involved in the crash, failed to brake in time and slammed into vehicles slowed down by construction-related lane closures near Parmer Lane.

 

Jonard is suing Amazon Logistics, ZBN Transport, and Araya for over $100 million, citing severe injuries including multiple broken bones, a dissected neck artery, a herniated disc, and deep lacerations.

In a separate lawsuit, the family of 78-year-old Maria Concepcion Joaquin de Joaquin, one of the victims who died in the crash, filed a $50 million wrongful death suit in Dallas County. According to their attorney, Domingo Garcia, Joaquin was the mother of 11 children and grandmother to 40.

“We cannot allow innocent families to continue being slaughtered on Texas highways because commercial drivers are operating 80,000-pound rigs while impaired, speeding, or well past their legal driving limits,” Garcia said in a statement. “This bloodshed on our highways must end.”

Authorities say Araya, 37, was driving a semi-truck owned or leased by ZBN Transport and/or Amazon Logistics and was hauling a load for Amazon at the time of the crash. He has been charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault. According to court documents, Araya had been employed by ZBN Transport for only four months before the incident.

The crash occurred around 11:20 p.m. when traffic had slowed due to a resurfacing project. Jonard, who was stopped in the congested traffic, said in the suit that he lost consciousness upon impact and awoke in excruciating pain, bleeding from his head and legs.

Amazon spokesperson Maureen Lynch Vogel called the crash “a horrible tragedy” and emphasized that all long-haul drivers for Amazon are independent contractors. ZBN Transport, based in Dallas, did not respond to requests for comment.

Both lawsuits seek accountability from the companies and individuals involved, and they highlight growing concerns over highway safety, especially involving commercial drivers.


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