AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) has identified the motorcyclist killed in a Nov. 15 crash on State Highway 71 that caused major delays for drivers trying to get to the airport.
APD said at approximately 5:48 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 15, officers responded to a crash between a car and a motorcycle in the 1900 block of East SH 71 eastbound. The motorcyclist, 19-year-old Zachery A. Jonaitis, died at the scene. The driver and passenger in the car were not injured, and the driver remained on the scene and cooperated with the investigation.
The Texas Department of Transportation's Austin district said at 6:15 a.m. that all eastbound lanes of SH 71 at US 183 were closed due to a crash. Traffic was diverting at the exit for US 183.
A half hour later, the airport posted on social media that SH 71 was closed to a single lane just before Spirit of Texas Drive due to a serious accident. The airport said travelers should expect huge traffic delays on the way to the airport and should plan for "extra, extra time" to arrive.
At around 7:15 a.m., Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) confirmed that the crash, which involved a vehicle and a motorcycle, was fatal. Medics pronounced one adult patient dead at the scene.
The airport said at 8:10 a.m. that it did not know when the highway would reopen. It encouraged travelers to stay in touch with their airline for the latest flight status information.
"If you are headed to AUS, we recommend leaning on a GPS app to show you the least congested way to get here," the airport said.
Just after 11 a.m., the airport said that eastbound SH 71 had reopened, but it was still seeing heavy congestion on other roadways leading to the airport.
APD said this is being investigated as Austin's 78th fatal crash of the year, resulting in 81 deaths. On Nov. 15, 2022, there had been 95 fatal crashes resulting in 99 deaths.