BELTON, Texas — UPDATE:
Two men died Thursday night in a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 35 that authorities say involved high-speed driving and reckless lane changes.
The crash happened just after 8:00 p.m. on northbound I-35 at mile marker 294 in Bell County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Tavarshea Daveon Sims, 31, of Killeen, was ejected from his 2026 Hyundai Elantra and pronounced dead at the scene. Shane Demeair Taylor, 39, of Cameron, a rear passenger in the Hyundai, was transported to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Temple, where he died from his injuries.
The preliminary investigation shows that a 23-year-old Killeen man driving a 2016 Nissan Altima made an unsafe lane change, moving across all northbound lanes from inside to outside. The Nissan collided with the Hyundai, causing it to strike the guardrail.
Witnesses reported both vehicles were traveling at high speeds and weaving around slower traffic before the crash.
Sims was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision, DPS said.
The Nissan driver was hospitalized with incapacitating injuries. A female passenger in the Hyundai also suffered incapacitating injuries and was transported to the hospital.
ORIGINAL:
I-35 North in Belton was completely shut down on Thursday night, after one person was killed and another seriously injured in a crash.
It happened shortly after 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Belton at the Leon River Bridge. One person was killed and another was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
A DPS spokesperson tells 25 News the investigation is ongoing, but witness reports indicate this could be a result of racing on the highway. The crash scene is described as "huge," with troopers reporting scattered debris all over the interstate.
Northbound traffic was being diverted onto a service road as investigators work teh scene. It's unknown how long the highway will be closed.
