SAPD: Sleepy driver clips 18-wheeler, rolls car over before it burst into flames on I-35 on Northeast Side

Onlooker caused a second crash Tuesday morning, SAPD says

San Antonio police responded to two crashes at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, at Interstate 35 and Eisenhower Road on the Northeast Side. (KSAT)

SAN ANTONIO – A woman who fell asleep at the wheel on Interstate 35 clipped the back of an 18-wheeler, causing her vehicle to roll over and burst into flames.

San Antonio police responded to that accident and a secondary wreck around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday at Interstate 35 and Eisenhower Road on the Northeast Side.

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When first responders arrived at the scene, the woman’s vehicle was fully engulfed in flames. She was able to escape the car fire and suffered a few bumps and scratches.

At this moment it is unclear if the woman was transported to a hospital.

Police believe the driver of the 18-wheeler was unaware the big rig was clipped and kept on driving.

While firefighters extinguished the car fire, an onlooker driving an SUV rammed into the back of a pickup truck that stopped further down the road, police said.

It is unclear if anyone in that accident was injured.

Lanes were closed on Interstate 35 while officers responded to the wrecks, but traffic cameras show that the lanes have since reopened.

San Antonio police responded to two crashes at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, at Interstate 35 and Eisenhower Road on the Northeast Side. (KSAT)
San Antonio police responded to two crashes at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, at Interstate 35 and Eisenhower Road on the Northeast Side. (KSAT)

About the Author

Rebecca Salinas is an award-winning digital journalist who joined KSAT in 2019. She reports on a variety of topics for KSAT 12 News.

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