Texas

Icy I-10 traffic jam at Kerrville resulted in one fatality

Texas Public Radio | By Brian Kirkpatrick

Published February 4, 2022 at 10:31 AM CST

Big rig truck sprawled across I-10 at Kerrville — Traffic was at a standstill overnight on I-10 at Kerrville due to accidents

Motorists were stuck in their vehicles for several hours early Friday morning on an icy I-10 at Kerrville. One person was fatally injured in the bumper-to-bumper incident.

The Kerr County Sheriff's Office reports there were multiple jack-knifed semi-trailers.

Trucks stacked up in hours-long icy delay on I-10 at Kerrville

Kerrville Police Department Sergeant Jonathan Lamb told Texas Public Radio the trucks slid around on hilly portions of the freeway. Two people were injured in one collision.

Two people were transported to Peterson Regional Medical Center. One of those persons, a male, died of his injuries, Lamb has confirmed to TPR.

Kerrville police in a news release reported:

"The tractor trailer was westbound when it attempted to slow for traffic that was at a standstill due to inclement weather conditions ahead. The tractor trailer flipped onto its side and slid due to the icy conditions. The trailer collided with the Ford F-350 pickup that was stopped for traffic"

The fatally injured male was in the pickup.

Lamb said traffic was crawling through on I-10 again before noon on Friday.

"My best advice is if it's not a legitimate emergency, stay home. If you do try to get out on interstate 10, your window for safe travel is probably going to be very brief," Lamb said.

Any thawed ice could turn into black ice, making it hard to see. Temperatures will dip below freezing Friday night with even colder wind chills.

Lamb said if you do venture out, you need to be prepared to potentially spend hours stuck in a vehicle in the frigid cold.

"We had vehicles stranded on the interstate for seven or eight hours last night, some even longer. If you're not prepared to sustain yourself in your vehicle, I really would not recommend you get out on the interstate and trying to make a trip today," he said.

Vehicles stuck for miles on icy-10 at Kerrville early this morning

2/4/22 4:56AM - Traffic remains at a standstill on I-10 W in Kerrville due to a crash. Visit https://t.co/ZJlJsJBYEz for the latest road conditions. pic.twitter.com/8OYWVg5Cen
— TxDOT San Antonio (@TxDOTSanAntonio) February 4, 2022

Traffic was backed up for miles in below freezing temperatures. The wind chill at dawn was zero.

The high today in Kerrville is expected to reach 31, but the high tomorrow is 43.

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