Six traffic fatalities on Valentine's Day weekend
It was a deadly weekend on Central Texas roadways. Multiple crashes within about a 10 hour period have left six people dead. Authorities are asking you to drive safely.
It's a problem Austin Police says we can prevent.
"Be safe when you're driving this late at night. We all know Austin has a large entertainment district. As you saw last year, there's a pretty big problem with late-night crashes. Never drive while intoxicated. There are so many other resources available in Austin," says Sr. Police Officer Christopher Irwin, Austin Police Dept.
Three crashes happened early Sunday morning, all within about an hour.
The first one happened at 1:30 a.m. Paramedics were called to Shively Lane in Southeast Travis County for a crash involving a motorcyclist. The man, in his 40s, died at the scene. It's not clear what caused him to lose control of his bike. The Department of Public Safety is leading the investigation.
Shortly after, Austin Police were called to a crash near the intersection of Burleson Road and Mckinney Falls.
A motorcyclist was heading east on Burleson when officers say it appears he struck a car that was stopped at a light. The motorcyclist died on scene. Police interviewed the driver of the car and the investigation is ongoing.
"This street right here is always having accidents. Always, constantly. This is the second time for a car accident and somebody died again," says David Soriano, witness.
Soriano was a witness to the third crash that happened at around 2:30 Sunday morning.
It was near William Cannon and South 1st.
"Well I was out here, it sounded like they were racing because the Land Rover was coming westbound. You could hear it before it got this way. So when I looked up, you could see the SUV right here, the Land Rover, already putting his breaks on. He just lost control right here," says Soriano.
Austin Police say the passenger in an SUV, a woman in her 20's, died at the scene. They are still looking into what led up to the crash and have not ruled out alcohol as a factor.
"Slow down, stop racing, quit drinking and driving," says Soriano.
Around ten hours earlier, authorities in Bastrop were investigating a crash that killed three people.
The Department of Public Safety says 22-year-old James Penny was driving a Chevy SUV eastbound on US 290 West when he somehow lost control, went into a side-skid and into oncoming traffic. A truck hit the SUV causing it to catch on fire.
Penny died at the scene. The driver of the truck, 56-year-old Rita Pena, and passenger, George Anthony Pena, died as well.