A crash involving a pedestrian closed I-35E in Dallas at 1 a.m., but lanes were re-opened by the morning rush hour.
DALLAS — A woman who was hit and killed while trying to get her dog on Interstate 35 in Dallas on Wednesday morning has been identified, according to officials.
Melanie Rachelle Dunahue, 35, died in the accident, which happened shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday on southbound I-35 near Royal Lane, officials said.
The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office said she was walking her dog along the highway when the dog ran into traffic. She ran after the dog, but both of them were hit and killed by a car, according to the sheriff’s office.
The driver of the vehicle that hit the woman and the dog stopped and the scene and was cooperating with investigators.
The southbound lanes of the highway were shut down after the crash but re-opened by the morning rush hour.
It was the second major highway closure in Dallas overnight into Wednesday morning. Southbound U.S. 75 was shut down, also at Royal Lane, shortly before midnight. The 75 closure lasted longer than the I-35 closure, as all southbound 75 lanes were closed for 12 hours.