5 people dead in massive car crash in Austin, driver charged
ABC News
(AUSTIN, Texas) — A man is facing charges after five people were killed and 11 were hospitalized in a collision involving 17 vehicles, including a semi-truck, in Austin, Texas, authorities said.
Solomun Weldekeal Araya, 37, has been charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault, according to Austin police.
The accident unfolded at approximately 11:23 p.m. on Interstate 35 southbound, according to Capt. Krista Stedman, public information officer for Austin-Travis County EMS. Crews arrived on scene to find multiple patients pinned in their cars, officials said.
Five people died at the scene: three adults, one child and one infant, authorities said. Eleven others were taken to hospitals.
“This incident was incredibly chaotic, and it was spread out over about a tenth of a mile,” Stedman said. “We were able to get all the critical patients off the scene within about 40 minutes and, considering how complex the scene was, that’s pretty impressive.”
The National Transportation Safety Board said it’s launched a safety investigation.
(LOS ANGELES) — The multiple wildfires raging in California are being described by eyewitnesses as “apocalyptic.” While the cost in human suffering is immeasurable, it may take weeks or longer for the true economic toll to be realized.
AccuWeather estimated $52 billion to $57 billion in damage as of Wednesday afternoon, but state officials warned that the number is expected to rise as the unprecedented fires put thousands more homes at risk.
The five wildfires tearing through the County of Los Angeles hit many California homeowners who were already struggling to find a company willing to insure their properties. At least 10 major insurers have either left or reduced coverage in California in the past four years. During that time, the number of homeowners signing up for the state’s insurer of last resort has doubled, officials said.
In the past two years, insurers including Allstate, American National, The Hartford and State Farm stopped issuing new fire policies for California homeowners. In some instances, residents said, the insurers would not renew existing policies because of the ongoing risk of damage from wildfires.
“The scenes from the area are heartbreaking, and our thoughts are on the individuals and communities impacted, as well as those that remain under threat,” State Farm said in a statement to ABC News. “We want our customers to know that, when it is safe to do so, they can and should file a claim. Agents can also help and, if needed, give customers more time to pay their premium. Our teams are standing by to assist.”
Allstate stopped issuing new homeowner policies in the state in 2022 and said last year that it would reverse its decision if it was allowed to account for the costs of reinsurance when setting rates.
The Hartford stopped writing new homeowners policies in the state on Feb. 1, 2024. American National stopped offering policies in the state on Feb. 29, 2024. Those companies did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment on the fires or on coverage going forward.
Just days before the first wildfire broke out Tuesday in LA’s affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood, the California Department of Insurance unveiled new regulations that would soon require insurers to increase home coverage in areas prone to wildfires. The policy would not be retroactive and would only apply to new policies going forward.
Part of a home insurance reform package, the regulations will also allow insurers to charge homeowners higher premiums to protect themselves from catastrophic wildfire claims, the documents said. It will be the first time in the state’s history that insurers can include the cost of reinsurance in their premiums, though it is a common practice in other states.
Critics of the rule say it could hike insurance premiums by 40% and doesn’t require new policies to be written at a fast enough pace.
The new rules are set to take effect at the end of January following a 30-day review period; but for many Californians, that regulation will come too late.
One example is the Levin family.
The fast-moving wildfires threatened Lynn Levin Guzman’s childhood home in Eaton, California. The 62-year-old emergency room nurse said, in a post on TikTok, that she snuck back to an evacuation zone to attempt to protect the home by spraying it with water from a hose because her parents’ fire insurance was cancelled.
“They’re 90 years old. They’ve lived in this house for 75 years, and they’ve had the same insurance,” Guzman told ABC7 Eyewitness news, “and the insurance people decided to cancel their fire insurance.”
“So, thank you California insurance companies for supporting residents who pay taxes and love California,” she said.
“And they wonder why people are leaving California,” she added.
An apparent lack of viable insurance options has a growing number of California homeowners flocking to the FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort. Meant to be a stopgap rather than a permanent replacement, it does not offer comprehensive policies. According to state officials, the number of policies under the FAIR Plan has more than doubled from 2020 to 2024 to 452,000.
President-elect Donald Trump called out the insurance industry on Truth Social on Wednesday, posting, “The fires in Los Angeles may go down, in dollar amount, as the worst in the History of our Country. In many circles, they’re doubting whether insurance companies will even have enough money to pay for this catastrophe.”
President Joe Biden also on Wednesday approved a major disaster declaration for California, making federal funds available for those who’ve lost property. That assistance includes low-cost loans to cover some uninsured property losses, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The FAIR Plan predicts that it will be able to pay out.
“We are aware of misinformation being posted online regarding the FAIR Plan’s ability to pay claims,” FAIR Plan spokesperson Hilary McLean said in a statement.
“It is too early to provide loss estimates as claims are just beginning to be submitted and processed,” McLean wrote, noting that the plan is prepared for this kind of a disaster and has payment mechanisms, including reinsurance, to cover claims.
State officials say they are considering passing a temporary year-long moratorium on non-renewals in areas recently burned.
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in a statement, “Insurance companies are pledging their commitment to California, and we will hold them accountable for the promises they have made.”
(LOS ANGELES) — One of the strongest storms of the season slammed fire-ravaged Los Angeles with heavy rain on Thursday, sending streams of mud and debris across roadways and sweeping a fire department vehicle off a Malibu road into the ocean, authorities said.
A member of the Los Angeles Fire Department was inside the vehicle when it was swept off the road by a large debris flow and into the ocean, according to the department.
“Fortunately, the member was able to exit his vehicle and reach safety with minor injuries. He was transported to a local hospital as a precaution,” spokesperson Erik Scott said.
In the Southern California city of San Juan Capistrano, two people were rescued early Friday after getting trapped in the fast-moving San Juan Creek, the Orange County Fire Authority said. They were holding onto trees and bushes to try to avoid getting swept away, the fire authority said.
“One of the victims, who had been dragged downstream by the swift current, jumped into the arms of the helicopter rescuer,” the fire authority said.
The atmospheric river dumped 6.34 inches of rain in Los Angeles County, prompting mudslides in the burn scar areas from last month’s devastating Palisades Fire, Los Angeles ABC station KABC reported.
Videos captured by KABC showed bulldozers pushing streams of muddy sludge out of the roads and firefighters trudging through nearly waist-deep swamps of water and mud.
The storm also brought a line of severe thunderstorms with 70 mph wind gusts to Los Angeles County, and a possible tornado hit a mobile home park near Oxnard, California, about 60 miles from LA.
LA Mayor Karen Bass said the city prepared for the storm by clearing catch basins of fire debris, offering residents over 6,500 sandbags, setting up over 7,500 feet of concrete barriers, and having systems in place to capture polluted runoff.
Sheriff’s deputies helped residents prepare with sandbags and passed out mud and debris safety tips, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Wednesday. “Our homeless outreach teams … are actively notifying individuals living in flood-prone areas like the LA River, Coyote Creek and other key waterways, urging them to relocate.”
Evacuation warnings were announced for parts of fire burn zones, including areas impacted by the Palisades Fire, and an evacuation order was issued for parts of Sierra Madre affected by the Eaton Fire, according to KABC.
All Malibu schools were closed Thursday and Friday, according to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
The sheriff urged residents to prepare in the event they needed to evacuate.
“Unfortunately, we’ve witnessed numerous, numerous instances in the past of swift-water rescues where people were caught in dangerous, fast-moving water, and obviously, we want to prevent that,” he said.
“Nothing that you have back home is worth your life. If you decide to stay in your property in an evacuated area, debris from the burn scar areas and storm may impede roads, and we may not be able to reach you,” he warned.
Before pummeling LA, the storm first hit Northern California, bringing rain and flash flooding to the San Francisco Bay area.
Further north, the same storm system brought whiteout conditions and car crashes to Interstate 84 in Oregon.
(NEW YORK) — Cellphones will no longer be allowed in New York schools if Gov. Kathy Hochul gets her way.
The New York governor announced on Tuesday a proposal to ban smartphones from hallways, classrooms and during lunchtime.
“We are not developing the skills we need because kids are distracted by cellphones,” Hochul said during a budget address in Albany. “I am announcing today a proposal that will transform our classrooms, return them to a place of learning.”
By restricting the use of devices from “bell to bell,” Hochul said schools will be distraction-free, allowing students to focus solely on learning.
“Our kids will be finally free from the endless disruptions from social media and all the mental health pressures that come from it,” Hochul said.
Students who have medical needs or are non-English speakers will still be permitted to use their cellphones at school. If approved, the governor said school districts will have the flexibility on how they interpret the policy.
The proposal will require approval by the state Legislature, since Hochul introduced it during her state budget instead of issuing an executive order.
Previously, New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks said he was exploring a cellphone ban for city public schools, but Mayor Eric Adams said it required more study.
Eight states have already implemented cellphone restrictions to some degree in schools, including California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia, according to The Associated Press.
