The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office has confirmed that the woman who died in a crash early Friday morning was 32-year-old Erica Nicole Austin, a Birmingham resident.
The accident happened around 6:30 a.m. on Pinson Valley Parkway (Highway 79) in Jefferson County, between Carson Road and Jefferson State Park, when Austin’s passenger car collided with a dump truck.
Emergency personnel were called to the scene shortly after the crash was reported. First responders arrived to find Austin critically injured. Despite efforts to save her, she was pronounced dead at approximately 6:46 a.m. at the scene.
Also in the car was a child who sustained injuries in the collision. The juvenile passenger was rushed by Center Point Fire & Rescue to Children’s of Alabama for treatment. As of now, authorities have not publicly disclosed the child’s condition.
Officials confirmed that the driver of the dump truck was uninjured in the crash.
Because of the severity of the collision and the need to process the scene, the roadway was shut down for about five hours while investigators and crews worked to clear debris and document evidence.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team is now leading the investigation into how the crash unfolded and what may have caused it. At this point, no further details or statements have been released.