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Truck driver indicted in fatal I-35 crash that killed 5 in Austin
Solomon Weldekeal Araya was indicted on four counts of manslaughter and 17 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Published September 23, 2025 at 12:33pm by Tony Plohetski
Officials examine the aftermath of the March 13 crash on Interstate 35 near Parmer Lane that killed five people. Truck driver Solomun Weldekeal-Araya was later charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter.
A Travis County grand jury on Monday indicted the driver of an 18-wheeler that crashed into more than a dozen cars on Interstate 35 in March, killing five people, including a family of four.
Solomon Weldekeal Araya was indicted on four counts of manslaughter and 17 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for each of the victims injured in the crash.
Police originally charged Weldekeal Araya with drunken driving, but test results later showed he was not intoxicated at the time of the crash.
The 12-page indictment alleges that Weldekeal Araya acted recklessly by "operating a vehicle at a speed unsafe under the existing circumstances, by disregarding construction zone traffic signs, by leaving a designated lane of travel in an unsafe manner, by failing to take sufficient action, by failing to apply brakes and by failing to maintain a proper lookout."
Bristol Myers, who represents Weldekeal Araya, said in a statement: "When the cops tested Solomun and he wasn't drunk, they said he was high. When they tested his blood for drugs, there was nothing there. Then they wasted taxpayer money to run more and more tests, only to come up empty. This indictment is a desperate attempt to criminalize a tragic accident."