Authorities reported five people killed in a head-on collision Sunday, May 17 on U.S. 281 in south Marble Falls. The report comes on the heels of at least three unrelated fatalities on FM 1431 east and west of the city in the past 30 days.
According to Marble Falls Police Department, a couple and two children died in Sunday’s collision, along with the elderly driver of the pickup which contributed to the crash.
“On May 17, 2026, at approximately 4:59 p.m., officers with the Marble Falls Police Department, along with deputies from the Burnet County Sheriff's Office, responded to the 3100 block of South U.S. Highway 281 for a major three-vehicle collision,” said Capt. James Cole in a statement. “Following an extensive investigation, officers determined that a black Nissan pickup truck, driven by 80-yearold Antonio Lara of Lago Vista, was traveling northbound on South U.S. Highway 281 when, for reasons currently unknown, the vehicle crossed into the southbound lanes of traffic. "The Nissan first sideswiped the rear left quarter panel of a white BMW hatchback occupied by 29-year-old Lance Benick, 27-yearold Hannah Benick, and their 8-month-old son, all of Austin,” he stated. “The BMW sustained minor damage. The Nissan then continued traveling northbound in the southbound lanes and collided head-on with a silver Hyundai hatchback.”
