By Calily Bien Published: August 21, 2015
AUSTIN, TEXAS (KXAN) —
A man who was killed by a wrong-way driver on IH-35 near downtown Austin earlier this week has been identified as 26-year-old Clayton Keller.
Police say a 23-year-old woman driving a white Toyota Camry got onto the southbound lanes of IH-35 from Manor Road going northbound around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Keller was in his Toyota Scion going southbound on the lower deck of IH-35 when the driver of the Camry crashed head-on into Keller. Keller died at the scene.
The driver of the Camry and her passenger were both transported to the University Medical Center at Brackenridge with life-threatening injuries. Police say they aren’t releasing the name of the driver since she is still in the hospital and hasn’t been charged.
SXSW (South by South West) organizers say Keller worked for SXSW as a staff member and crew chief to help manage crowd safety on the streets of Austin during SXSW. In the post, SXSW said Keller was driving from Dallas to his home in San Antonio when the crash happened.
SXSW released a statement Friday evening:
“SXSW is stunned and grieving over the tragic loss of one of our Crew Chiefs, Clayton Keller.
Clayton worked with the Special Venues Crew for five years and became an invaluable and beloved part of the team.
We are in the process of organizing the community who knew and loved Clayton to figure out the best way to honor him and support his wife and son and plan to stage a benefit concert in the fall.”
Keller’s funeral has been set for Monday, Aug. 24 at Mission Park South in San Antonio.
////////////////------------------///
AUGUST 19, 2015
AUSTIN, TEXAS (KXAN) —
Austin police are investigating a wrong-way collision Wednesday morning that killed one person.
The crash occurred on the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 just before the upper and lower deck split at 2:37 a.m.
Austin-Travis County EMS said two vehicles were involved in the crash and one person died at the scene of the accident. Police say the man driving in the correct direction died in the crash. The two people in the wrong-way vehicle were taken to University Medical Center Breckenridge with critical, potentially life-threatening injuries.
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said a 23-year-old woman got onto the southbound lanes of IH-35 along with a passenger after celebrating a birthday. Although drunk driving has not been confirmed, Acevedo strongly believes alcohol was involved.
“Add up birthday celebration and wrong way driver and I can tell you there is a strong probability DWI will play a role in this situation,” said Acevedo.
The investigation will try to determine where the driver incorrectly entered the highway. Police said they will recreate the night leading up to collision including where the driver may have been doing, eating/drinking, and where they were headed.
Acevedo spoke passionately about the responsibility of drivers when it comes to driving drunk.
“It is a tragic day, it is a sad day, it is a day that should not have happened,” he said. There have been 65 fatality collisions in Austin this years claiming 69 lives. There were 55 fatality collisions all of 2014. The chief spent time touching upon many subjects related to safe driving including bar establishments over-serving customers, drivers wearing seat belts, and using ride share programs or taxis to get home safely. He also said penalties for drunk driving have become too lenient.
“Life is about choice., Drinking and driving do not mix. I feel sorry for everyone involved, but there has to be consequences.”
Map of wrong-way crashes in Austin since 2014-June 2015