Arnold Gerardo, Ariel Lopez-Pina Killed in Car Accident on Stassney Lane in Austin, TX
UPDATE (November 2, 2022): It is our sad duty to report that two of the SUV's critically-injured occupants, 23-year-old Arnold Gerardo and 29-year-old Ariel Lopez-Pina, succumbed to the injuries they received in this crash.
Austin, TX — October 20, 2022, six people were injured, three critically, in a traffic collision on East Stassney Lane in southeast Austin.
Authorities say the incident happened around 7:30 p.m. in the area of 5946 East Stassney, between Teri and Burleson roads. Preliminary investigation suggests that a Nissan Rogue SUV was southbound on Stassney as a Dodge Ram pickup was northbound on the other side. Investigators allege the Nissan's front passenger grabbed the wheel and caused the vehicle to swerve sharply left, where it crashed with the pickup in the northbound lane.
Three people pinned in one of the vehicles were extricated and then rushed to area hospitals with life-threatening injuries. Three others, one of them a Nissan passenger ejected during the crash, were taken to another hospital. One more person reportedly refused medical transport.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Austin Car Accident on Stassney Ln
Investigators say a passenger in the SUV grabbed the wheel and forced it into the oncoming lane. I have no reason to argue with their findings, but that's clearly an unusual and deadly action to take and I hope they'll look carefully into how and why that might have occurred. Considering the crash's fatal aftermath it seems only right to learn the whole story and ensure whoever's responsible faces appropriate consequences.
For the sake of the victims and their families I hope authorities will get all the facts. Whether the crash was caused by something unusual as police suggested or it turns out to have a more common cause, those affected deserve the truth.
