SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police say a driver who was killed in a crash in the Medical Center Monday morning had been involved in an earlier chase with officers.
According to a preliminary report, police had tried to stop the 2019 red Honda Accord but the driver kept going.
An officer briefly pursued the car but lost sight of it, the report said.
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Police said that at some point “well after” the chase was called off, the same car became involved in a crash around 5 a.m., which resulted in the death of that driver.
Witnesses reportedly told police they saw him driving “erratically” moments before his car collided with a Penske truck at the intersection of Medical Drive and Babcock Road.
“He was going westbound on Medical Drive and he attempted to run the red light,” said Sgt. Steven Bratina with SAPD. “There's no estimate at this time on how fast that little car was going, but he was obviously speeding.”
The Honda became wedged beneath the large truck.
The force of the impact sent the truck spinning about 180 degrees, dragging the car with it.
Police said several people stopped and attempted to help the driver, although they were not able to do much.
San Antonio firefighters had to lift the truck off the car, then cut through metal to reach the man, who was in his 30s.
The crash happened not far from a hospital emergency room.
Still, there was no saving the man.
“The driver probably died instantly,” Bratina said.
For hours afterward, accident investigators remained at the scene, piecing together what happened.
Part of the busy intersection was closed throughout the morning commute, leading to delays and detours for drivers.