A 9-year-old girl died and another child remains hospitalized in critical condition after a two-vehicle crash on the Interstate 35 service road in Southeast Austin, Texas. The collision happened around 7:41 a.m. Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at the intersection of the South I-35 northbound service road and the East Ben White Boulevard (State Highway 71) westbound service road, near Woodward Street. A Jeep Compass carrying a driver and two juvenile passengers collided with a Tesla Cybertruck occupied only by its driver. The child who died, identified by authorities as Lilliana Segura, was pronounced dead at the hospital; the second child was taken to a hospital in critical condition, and both drivers were also transported for treatment. The crash shut down multiple lanes and shoulders of I-35 for several hours, with Travis County STAR Flight responding to the scene.
According to CBS Austin (KEYE), officers responded to the scene early Wednesday morning after reports of the collision near the I-35/Ben White Boulevard interchange. The outlet reported that the Austin Police Department’s Vehicular Homicide Unit is investigating and that neither driver showed signs of intoxication at the time of the crash. Police shut down the intersection along with several main lanes and both shoulders of I-35 while investigators processed the scene, reopening the roadway before noon. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call APD’s Vehicular Homicide Unit at 512-974-8111. Police said the crash marked Austin’s 56th traffic fatality of 2026.
