3 dead in major collision on 281
An overhead view of a major vehicle collision on U.S. 281 near Johnson City shows the scale of emergency response, which included over 45 units, including four helicopters and four ambulances. Photo courtesy of North Blanco County EMS
Three people were killed and at least three more were injured in a three-vehicle collision Wednesday, March 5, on U.S. 281 near Johnson City. Over 45 first responder units from more than a dozen local and state agencies responded to the crash, which triggered a “mass casualty alarm” due to its scale.
According to a report from North Blanco County EMS, first responders were dispatched to the accident at 12:07 p.m. Wednesday, with the first units arriving by 12:12 p.m. The crash happened at the intersection of U.S. 281 and RR 1323, about 3 miles north of Johnson City.
“The call was immediately upgraded to a Mass Casualty Alarm, which triggers a much larger response as well as prepares our regional hospitals and trauma centers to begin receiving multiple critically injured patients at once,” reads a Thursday report from North Blanco County EMS.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Three people, including a child, were pronounced dead on the scene after extensive resuscitative efforts. Two others were transported by helicopter to a regional trauma center, and one was taken by ground transport.
Traffic on U.S. 281 near the accident was reportedly closed for almost five hours Wednesday.
Five Marble Falls Area EMS first responders traveling in two ambulances and a command vehicle were among those who assisted in the incident as part of a mutual aid agreement between the agency and North Blanco County EMS.
“Please keep these families in your thoughts, hold your loved ones tight, and keep our responders in your thoughts as well,” reads the report.