SAN ANTONIO — A driver jumped out of a moving vehicle Wednesday evening, triggering a five-car chain-reaction crash that initially led responding officers to believe a pedestrian had been struck.
The incident occurred just before 8pm along the eastbound I-35 North access road near Fair Avenue.
Police tell us four vehicles were stopped at a red light when a vehicle driven by a 40-year-old man rear-ended the queue. The impact pushed the second vehicle, driven by a 50-year-old man, into a third vehicle driven by a 24-year-old woman, which then hit a fourth vehicle driven by a 22-year-old woman, and ultimately a fifth vehicle driven by a 38-year-old woman.
All four stopped drivers told officers they were stationary at the signal when they were hit from behind and forced into the vehicle ahead of them.
When officers arrived at the scene of the major accident, they initially suspected a pedestrian had been involved after discovering blood and an abandoned electric scooter near the wreckage. However, investigators later determined no pedestrian was struck.
Instead, police said the 40-year-old driver of the primary vehicle told officers he had jumped from his moving car just before it slammed into the stopped traffic.
Police stressed that the information remains preliminary and is subject to change as the active investigation continues. Authorities have not yet released the names of those involved or stated what led the driver to jump from the vehicle.