Fiery Crash In Southeast Austin Leaves Driver Dead: Police

AUSTIN, TX — Police on Thursday released details related to a fiery crash between a car and an 18-wheeler in the southeast portion of the city earlier this month.

Emergency crews were called to the 7200 block of East Ben White Boulevard at around 2:10 a.m. on Feb. 1, where a gray, 2009 Infiniti EX35 had slammed into an 18-wheeler, police wrote in an advisory. Detectives determined the car driver had been traveling westbound when it left the roadway before slamming into the big rig, as outlined in the police account.

The impact was such that both the car and semi-trailer burst into flames, police noted. The truck driver was uninjured, but the driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was not identified pending notification of his death to family members, police said.

As detectives continue to investigate, they ask those with information that could help their probe to call them at (512) 974-6935. Tips also can be submitted by downloading the police department's mobile app, Austin PD, for free on iPhone and Android.

The collision marked Austin’s 10th fatal traffic crash of 2021, police said, resulting in 11 fatalities for the year. On the date of this crash in 2020, police added, there were 12 fatal crashes resulting in a dozen fatalities.