Cpl. Paul Benton of the Belton Police Department said vehicles following too closely most likely caused the 11-vehicle pileup in the northbound lanes.

One man was airlifted to Scott & White Memorial Hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.

Among the vehicles was a caravan of church members from Arlington who were returning home. With them were Stephen Walton, 17, and his brother 14-year-old Dan Walton who escaped injury and pulled a woman through her passenger side window to safety when the pickup landed on her Jeep Wrangler and another car.

The first accident near exit 290 involved motorcycles that were riding in a rally. No information was available about how the accident happened and no injuries were reported.