Austin, Texas: Two Pedestrians Killed in Separate Overnight Crashes, Police Seek Hit and Run Driver

Two pedestrians were killed in separate crashes in Austin early Sunday, November 1, and a third crash on Interstate 35 near downtown left one person in critical condition, according to Austin police and Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.

The three crashes happened within about two hours of each other, in the early morning hours after Halloween night. Police have not released the names of the people killed, and all three investigations are still open.

Pedestrian killed on I-35 in North Austin

First responders with Austin-Travis County EMS arrived at 12:20 a.m. in the 8000 block of North Interstate 35 southbound, just north of the U.S. 183 exit, where a pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle. Medics pronounced the adult patient dead at the scene.

The crash forced closures along the southbound lanes of I-35 while emergency crews cleared the area, and authorities advised motorists to expect delays and use other routes. Police did not immediately say what led to the collision or whether the driver stayed at the scene.

Hit and run on South 1st Street

Shortly before 1 a.m., Austin police officers responded to a collision involving a pedestrian in the 4100 block of South 1st Street in South Austin. First responders found the pedestrian unconscious at the scene. Paramedics took the person to a nearby hospital, where they died.

The vehicle that struck the pedestrian left the scene without stopping to help. Police said investigators are searching for a vehicle described as a dark-colored sedan. The Austin Police Department Vehicular Homicide Unit is leading the investigation, and police have asked anyone who sees the vehicle or has information about the crash to come forward.

Third crash near downtown

At about 2:33 a.m., a separate crash on southbound I-35 near downtown ejected two adults from a vehicle. Both were taken to Dell Seton Medical Center, and one of them remains in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, according to the reports.

Emergency crews briefly closed southbound I-35 lanes while clearing the scenes. Authorities have withheld the identities of the people killed while families are notified.

Police have not said that any of the three crashes are connected. Each one is under its own investigation, and the hit and run case on South 1st Street is the one where police are actively asking the public for help finding a vehicle.