SAN ANTONIO – A chain-reaction crash that involved at least seven cars along Northwest Loop 410 earlier this month is prompting concerns from drivers.
They told KSAT they’re worried about the lack of proper lighting along the highway and how that can create dangerous driving conditions.
KSAT has been following details of the crash since it happened around 3 a.m. June 14 near the Military Drive exit. Police said at least one person was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
In dashcam video sent to KSAT from an eyewitness, who did not want to be identified, two vehicles can be seen that appear to have initially collided along the shoulder of the highway. In the video, viewers can hear the driver speaking with a 911 dispatcher and describing the crash as it’s happening.
Within a matter of seconds, several other cars slammed right into one of the vehicles flipped over on its side in the middle of the highway.
“People can’t see, it’s really dark out here,” the driver emphasized during the 911 call.
In another part of the clip, one of the vehicle’s occupants is seen carrying a woman out of one of the vehicles. It’s unclear what injuries she suffered.
The eyewitness who captured the video spoke with KSAT, saying it was so dark that he, too, almost hit one of the vehicles as he approached it.
“As I’m getting over this hill, I’m starting to hit a little bit of debris in the road,” he said. “So I start to slow down a little bit. Then, pretty much out of nowhere, there was a flipped car right in front of me.”
He said he immediately began asking some of the drivers involved in the crash if they needed help or were hurt.
Since KSAT first reported on the crash, viewers have shared similar concerns on social media about visibility along that stretch of Northwest Loop 410.
The eyewitness said he drives the route every day for work and often struggles to see farther ahead of him. He believes improvements should be made for drivers’ safety.
“They definitely need to do some upgrades,” he said. “It was so dark, I was going to hit the person as well.”
To find out more about the lighting in that area, KSAT reached out to Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), which oversees highway lighting and roadway safety.
TxDOT sent the following statement:
“Safety is TxDOT’s top priority and new illumination has been installed in this area as part of a construction project. In some cases, illumination may not be fully operational due to damaged equipment.”
TxDOT
After receiving the statement, KSAT visited the area after dark and drove the same route where the crash occurred. While there, several highway light fixtures appeared to be inoperable. Nearby lights that appeared to be functioning normally provided a point of comparison, highlighting the difference in visibility along portions of the roadway.
“It’s very dangerous, and obviously stuff like this can happen at any time, and it takes mere seconds for things to go down a dark road,” the eyewitness said.
KSAT notified TxDOT about the lights that appeared to be out and asked if the damaged equipment was reported and when repairs might be made. The agency has not yet responded.
More coverage of this story on KSAT: