2 people killed in 2 accidents involving driver in the wrong direction at Loop 410

SANTO ANTÓNIO – Two drivers died minutes apart in different accidents caused by the same car going the wrong way on a South Side highway, according to San Antonio police.

Police identified the second dead driver as Jay Simon Mejia, 33, who was pronounced dead at 3:07 am on Thursday after his vehicle was hit head-on. The driver accused of causing the accident was identified by authorities on Thursday afternoon as 26-year-old Alejandro Montoya Rodriguez.

According to SAPD, the first accident occurred around 2:45 am on the main lanes of Loop 410 on Roosevelt Road.

Police said a silver 2014 Mazda car was traveling east on the highway when a vehicle in the wrong direction approached.

The Mazda driver swerved to lose the oncoming vehicle and crashed into the back of an 18-wheeler, causing his car to be trapped under the big rig. The driver was pronounced dead at 3:04 am and was not identified.

Police said Rodriguez, the driver on the wrong side, continued to head west on the eastern lanes and caused two more accidents.

Rodriguez’s car crashed into Mejia’s vehicle, causing the two to spin, officials said.

Mejia’s vehicle landed on the driver’s side on a grassy bed between the main lanes and the access road.

Police said Rodriguez and his passenger got out of the vehicle before it caught fire.

Both were transported to the University Hospital.

Police said Rodriguez was drunk at the time of the accidents and that he faces two counts of manslaughter.

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