A man and a dog are dead following an early morning crash on I-35.
According to police, the man and dog were trying to cross all lanes of traffic when they were struck by multiple vehicles on the northbound side. All lanes of traffic had to be shutdown for hours, but police were able to reopen the lanes just after 5:00 a.m.
Both the man and his dog were pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not been released.
The death marks yet another in a growing list of auto-pedestrian crashes on I-35, with at least six occurring in 2019. According to the Austin Police Department, there have been dozens of auto-pedestrian crashes each year across all city streets, but many of them actually do involve homeless people trying to cross the interstate.
It’s not clear if Wednesday’s victim was homeless.
Since 2017, the Texas Department of Transportation has tried to address the rash of auto-ped crashes through its ‘Be Safe, Be Seen’ campaign, which includes handing out reflective gear and flashing lights for people to use while walking.
