A fatal crash involving a wrong-way driver east of Austin Bergstrom International Airport caused heavy traffic delays Monday morning.
According to the Department of Public Safety, a man in his 30s drove his car westbound in the eastbound lanes before striking a pick up at about 3:20 a.m. The wrong-way driver died on the scene of the crash while the driver and passenger in the pick up were taken to a hospital with unknown injuries. DPS is looking into whether fog could be a factor in the crash.
The wreck caused Highway 71's eastbound lanes to close near Navarro Creek Road. One of the westbound lanes at the crash site were also closed to help detour eastbound traffic.
Here's a 7:20 a.m. update from KVUE's Cori Coffin:
Visibility was low Monday morning, making a danger in front of drivers -- such as a wrong-way driver -- difficult to see. Authorities said it's all the more reason to eliminate distractions as you drive. Robbie Barrera with the Texas Highway Patrol gave some tips for drivers approaching a wrong-way driver.
"I'd press on my brakes. Try to make sure that I'm as far away from the vehicle as possible if I'm traveling eastbound. We've got a bar ditch. Travel into the bar ditch. Do whatever you can to look as far down the road as possible so you will have that ability to take that action if you see headlights coming toward you," Barrera said.