SAN ANTONIO – Three people were hospitalized Monday after a big rig carrying asphalt crashed into a Circle K convenience store on the Northeast Side.
SAPD spokesperson Alisia Pruneda said the crash happened around 10:30 a.m., as the big rig exited southbound Interstate 35 at the O’Connor intersection.
The driver said he tried to stop, but the brakes failed, causing him to lose control of the big rig before it rolled onto its side and slid into the store, Pruneda said.
The driver, who is in his late 20s, was able to walk to the ambulance before he was taken to the hospital in serious condition. He suffered serious injuries to his arm but is expected to be OK, Pruneda said.
Two other people were also taken to the hospital for minor injuries. Mario Keller of Keller Industries said the two people were his employees, and they were there for a service call.
One of them was inside a car as it was hit by the rig.
“Thank god they didn’t get killed,” he said in a news conference.
Multiple people were inside the store at the time of the crash, but an employee told KSAT that they were able to take cover before impact. The big rig also hit multiple vehicles during the ordeal.
The store will be closed for an unknown period of time due to damage and a large amount of asphalt that spilled from the load, Pruneda said.
There a “load of structural damage to the physical building,” she said, adding that there’s “no threat to the public.”
First responders are still working to remove the big rig from the store, a process that SAPD says could take hours.
Pruneda said SAPD is investigating the truck’s mechanical issues.
This is a developing story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.
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