The truck driver in a fatal crash that left five people dead was on central nervous system depressants at the time of the accident. 

The accident happened at 11:21 p.m. in a construction zone on Interstate 35 in Austin, Texas. Now, 37-year-old truck driver, Solomun Weldekeal Araya is facing multiple counts of intoxication manslaughter and assault for the crash that killed five, including two young children, and injured 11 more. 

Four of the five people killed were in a vehicle described as “an unrecognizable crumpled mess.”

According to KFox14, a detective and member of APD’s Impaired Driving Investigation Unit has determined that Araya was impaired by central nervous system depressants at the time of the wreck. These drugs are known to “slow down signals sent between the brain and the body” and are often used to treat insomnia or panic disorders. 

Araya was observed with droopy eyes, slow and sluggish movements, and a relaxed and drowsy demeanor at the time of the crash. His vital signs also pointed to someone who was  “unusually calm” for someone who was just involved in a massive, fatal accident. His heart rate and blood pressure were “on the lower end of normal range,” at the time they were taken, which investigators considered suspicious. 

“Normally a person involved in a collision would experience physiological conditions such as an elevated heart rate and increased blood pressure, especially in a collision of this magnitude,” the affidavit said.

During the crash investigation, Araya told police that his brakes failed, but commercial vehicle inspectors have found no evidence of mechanical issues on the truck. Araya has a record of Hours of Service and moving violations prior to the crash. 

The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into the crash.