A motorcyclist was killed in a crash on Interstate 35 in New Braunfels Tuesday, as he and the driver in front of him tried to avoid a fire truck blocking a crash scene.
At around 11:20 a.m., two vehicles — one a New Braunfels Fire Department Fire Marshal SUV — were involved in a minor crash in the 900 block of Interstate 35, north of Walnut Avenue.
The two vehicles pulled over to the inside shoulder and waited for emergency crews to arrive.
A responding New Braunfels fire engine blocked two lanes of traffic leading up to the crash site. At around 11:35 a.m., a 33-year-old Austin woman was driving southbound in an SUV at a high rate of speed, New Braunfels police say.
The woman swerved into the inside shoulder to avoid hitting the fire truck and came to a sudden stop. A three-wheel Harley Davidson motorcycle driving behind her, also taking evasive action, slammed into the back of the SUV at a high rate of speed.
The driver of the motorcycle, a 68-year-old Austin man, was thrown from the motorcycle. Police say he was not wearing a helmet.
All southbound lanes were closed as an AirLIFE medical helicopter landed on the highway and flew the motorcyclist to San Antonio Military Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.