Police ID Driver Killed In North Austin After Failed Merger

AUSTIN, TX — Police on Thursday identified the motorist who died over the weekend after another driver failed to use a dedicated merger lane properly, causing a fatal rollover accident in North Austin.

The incident dates to Sunday, June 8, just before 12:30 p.m. along the 8900 block of North Capital of Texas Highway. A preliminary police investigation revealed that the driver of a white, 2016 Ford Explorer turned westbound onto North Capital of Texas Highway from Great Hills Trail. Police said she failed to use the dedicated merger lane, instead moving into the right lane of the roadway and striking a box truck in the process.

The impact caused the truck to overturn and hit a guardrail, police said. The truck's driver, Guadalupe Padilla Palacios, 42, was transported to to a hospital for treatment of his injuries. He died of his injuries the following day, police said.

The incident marked the 36th fatal traffic crash so far this year, a deadly trend that has yielded 37 fatalities to date. In the comparable 2018 period, there were 25 fatal crashes leading to 26 traffic fatalities, police added.