Category Archives: Uncategorized

November 11, 2024 · 1:33 pm

More than 400 people killed, injured in Austin crashes this year

AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 400 people have been killed or seriously injured in Austin crashes so far this year, based on a Vision Zero data analysis released this week.  As of Oct. 31, Austin transportation officials determined 73 people died and 336 were seriously injured in crashes. A disproportionate number of those impacted were classified as “vulnerable roads users” — with more than 40% of those killed or injured pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and e-scooter riders, per Vision Zero data.  Austin data also noted an overrepresentation of people of color in its serious and fatal crash data. While Black residents account for only about 7% of Austin’s population, Black people accounted for 14% of serious and fatal injuries locally. Men were also overly represented in crash data, with two-thirds of serious or fatal crash victims classified as men.

When comparing data from 2019 to 2023, Austin sees an average of 559 people killed or seriously injured each year; when broken down, that average reflects 96 deaths and 463 serious injuries. When zooming out nationally and internationally, more than 44,000 people in the U.S. and 1.35 million people globally are killed or seriously injured in crashes each year.

Vision Zero’s data analysis comes in advance of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, recognized annually on the third Sunday of November. The global initiative highlights the lives and losses of those killed or seriously injured, as well as advocates for certain safety initiatives to minimize traffic fatalities.

Locally, Vision Zero has also worked on transportation infrastructure revamps and projects to address vehicular, pedestrian and cyclist safety. This summer, Vision Zero celebrated the completion of the program’s first round of bond-funded safety projects — a $15 million, 2016 mobility bond funding allocation.

Those 2016 dollars focused on initiatives like upgrading crosswalks to separate pedestrians and vehicular traffic, shared-use paths for non-vehicular traffic and improvements to signal timing and street lighting. Separately, a June 2024 Vision Zero report found major intersections treated with safety enhancements reported a 22% reduction in both fatal and serious injury crashes.

More details on the program are available online.

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November 4, 2024 · 2:22 am

Woman who lost both legs in crash reminds drivers of Move Over or Slow Down law

Oct 19, 2024 – Fox 7-AUSTIN – Moving over or slowing down could be the difference between life or death for someone if you see a car on the side of the road.  AAA Texas and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) are reminding Texans about the Move Over or Slow Down law, which requires drivers to do just that when they see emergency vehicles with lights flashing on the side of the road.   On Jan. 9, 2007, Heather Haenes was pulled over on the side of the road with another vehicle after a fender bender on Mopac near Westover. She was standing between the two vehicles, and another vehicle slammed into them. She lost both of her legs.

“I didn’t know if I was going to be alive or not,” she said. “It was traumatic. I knew that my entire life had changed. I was awake and aware of the whole accident, so I was aware that I had lost my legs.”  AAA Texas says on average, 24 first responders, including tow truck drivers, are hit and killed on the side of the road every year. Hundreds more are injured, plus lots of near misses.  “We must protect those who come to our aid and ensure that they return home safely to their families,” Doug Shupe, AAA Texas spokesperson, said.   All 50 states have the Move Over or Slow Down law for emergency vehicles.

Drivers urged to be careful near construction zones

Two people were killed over the weekend after crashing into a construction site on I-35 in South Austin. Authorities are urging drivers to be careful near work zones, especially with even more freeway construction set to begin this fall.

AAA Texas is trying to expand that law to apply to all stopped vehicles, like drivers with car trouble or who were in a crash.  If you can’t move over, you can lower your speed to 20 mph under the speed limit.   “We have a new population, a very large new population within Austin, Travis County, and some of those drivers aren’t educated about if they can’t vacate that lane closest to the vehicle that’s pulled over with their lights activated, they still have the option to slow down,” Sgt. Billy Ray with the Texas Dept. of Public Safety said.

After relearning to walk and navigating insurance, Haenes has been able to take on a lot more, including mountain biking, skiing, and advocating for others.  “Being that gentle reminder just to save anybody the tragedy of having to change your entire life and becoming a disabled individual,” Haenes said. “I’m just very fortunate that I’m still here today.”

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May 12, 2024 · 12:09 am

Austin Ghost Bike Project memorializes cyclists killed in crashes

AUSTIN (KXAN) — At intersections and roadways across Austin are white bikes—memorials honoring the memory of cyclists killed in traffic crashes. It’s part of the Austin Ghost Bike Project’s ongoing mission to raise public awareness about the number of cyclists killed while the organization advocates for improved safety infrastructure for bikers.  “Our goal, really, is to draw attention to and to start to prevent so many needless deaths, accidents, crashes in our city,” said Rhodney Williams with Austin Ghost Bike Project.

On May 15, organizers, local cyclists and loved ones of those killed will gather at Austin City Hall at 7 p.m. for the Ride of Silence, a silent, all-levels memorial ride to honor those hurt or killed while biking on Austin roadways. Participants are asked to wear white, bring a helmet and avoid talking or listening to music during the event. It’s a decades-old event that began in Dallas and has since expanded globally. Last year, more than 200 locations across 40 states and 16 countries hosted the memorial rides, per the Ride of Silence.   “We will be riding past two or three of the ghost bikes on our way, just to hopefully create an awareness,” Williams said.

  • 2020: 4 cyclist fatalities
  • 2021: 3 cyclist fatalities
  • 2022: 1 cyclist fatality
  • 2023: 6 cyclist fatalities
  • 2024 YTD: 0 fatalities

The dataset also monitors how many cyclists were seriously injured in traffic-related crashes:

  • 2020: 22 cyclists seriously injured
  • 2021: 26 cyclists seriously injured
  • 2022: 28 cyclists seriously injured
  • 2023: 24 cyclists seriously injured
  • 2024 YTD: 13 cyclists seriously injured

Austin Ghost Bike Project has tracked dozens of cyclist deaths across the Central Texas region and is building out its ghost bike network. KXAN spoke with Williams on Wednesday in front of the memorial bike for Merry “Cookie” Daye, who was killed in a hit-and-run crash in December 2019.  Many of those killed who the Austin Ghost Bike Project memorializes died in similar hit-and-run incidents, with several of those cases remaining unsolved, Williams said. Adding insult to injury, the organization has seen an uptick in the number of vandalized and stolen bikes, with Williams highlighting damages at Daye’s memorial site along Cameron Road.

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June 10, 2023 · 10:00 pm

‘It’s a miracle she even survived’: Car crashes up 37% on US 290 in Hays County

Coral's car crashDRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) – A crash put one young woman in the hospital for weeks on a stretch of road many say is dangerous.  The Hays County Sheriff’s Office said a majority of the crashes and traffic stops on U.S. Highway 290 are happening in Dripping Springs. One of those car crashes involved Coral Gibson. “It’s a miracle she even survived. It’s probably the worst non-fatal collision I’ve seen,” her husband David Gibson said.

The head-on car crash completely changed Coral’s life.  “With these kinds of injuries, she’ll never be the same person again,” Gibson said. “It’s a very traumatic scenario.”  David said she drove on U.S. 290 west of Dripping Springs when a driver heading the opposite way came into her lane.  David said this was the worst non-fatal car crash he’s ever seen in his career as a firefighter. “She’s lost that left eye,” David said. “She’s lost a good portion of her skull, as well as a good portion of her brain had to be removed.”

Coral’s been in the hospital ever since and they have no idea when she’ll come home.  “We’re looking at something that could be six months, a year, two years. It’s going to go neurological therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy,” David said.   While Coral’s road ahead may be long and uncertain, David said he’s sure of at least one thing: he’ll be by her side the whole way through.  “She’s never going to be alone. Never,” David said. “I’m going to be with her every step of the way.”   David said family and friends have organized a meal train and a GoFundMe. He said they are also planning a Coral’s Butterfly Dash 5K on Sept. 30.

Increase of crashes

Crashes are common in that area, according to Hays County Sheriff Deputy Anthony Hipolito. In the past three months, there’ve been dozens and dozens.  “We had a total of 91 traffic accidents on or around Highway 290 in that time period,” Hipolito said.  He said car crashes on U.S. 290 in Hays County are up 37% compared to last year.  It’s a trend they’re trying to stop with more patrols and a zero-tolerance traffic enforcement initiative.

“We stopped a ton of vehicles for speeding up and down Highway 290. We stopped a ton of vehicles for driving down the center lane,” Hipolito said.   But he said that won’t be enough to prevent crashes and that it’s also on drivers to do their part. “Drive a little bit slower. Don’t be distracted by your cell phone,” Hipolito said. “Turn the music down.”

 

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· 9:54 pm

Man gets 7 years for manslaughter related to 2022 motorcycle crash that killed 2 in Leander

LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — A man was sentenced to serve seven years in state prison following a September 2022 crash that killed two people in Williamson County.  Cody James Landrum, 25 at the time of the crash, pleaded guilty to two manslaughter charges May 18, according to Williamson County court documents.  According to past KXAN coverage, Police said Landrum’s vehicle struck a motorcycle near the intersection of RM 2243 and 183A Toll Road in Leander around 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30, 2022.

Jeremy Moore, 49, and Angela Barry, 46, were on the motorcycle when they were hit from behind by Landrum, according to police. Both Moore and Barry died at the scene of the crash.  Records showed Landrum had a jail credit of 231 days going toward his sentence.

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· 9:40 pm

Why serious, fatal crashes continue to trend above pre-COVID levels in Austin, nationally

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Since 2015, the City of Austin’s Vision Zero program has worked to enhance transportation safety citywide and eliminate traffic fatalities. This week, Vision Zero’s latest two-year update reported substantial improvements in roadways that have undergone safety improvements — but work continues to retrofit the city’s roadway network and crack down on dangerous driving habits.

Austin’s Vision Zero program has been tracking a higher volume of serious and fatal crashes since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, a trend seen in cities across the country. Data recorded in 2021 and 2022 showed substantial increases in fatal crashes on state-owned roadways that bisect Austin, with 71 fatalities in 2021 and 83 in 2022, respectively.

By comparison, pre-COVID numbers from 2018 and 2019 reported fatalities on state-owned roadways at 48 and 53 deaths.

Joel Meyer serves as a transportation planner with the Vision Zero program. He said a substantial factor behind these heightened fatality numbers is the risky behaviors some drivers developed during the pandemic when traffic volumes were lower.

But now that traffic volumes are at or near pre-pandemic levels, those risky behaviors — think speed and distracted or impaired driving — are amplified with more people back on state-owned and local roadways.

“That paired with staffing shortages amongst our law enforcement agencies is really leading to a situation where we’re just seeing a lot of dangerous, high-risk behaviors out on our roadways,” he said.

Right now, the City of Austin has zeroed in its focus on retrofitting city roadways to prioritize safety, lower speeds and enhanced pedestrian and bicycle access. It comes at a turning point in transportation engineering happening nationally, as previous efforts to amplify faster and higher volumes of vehicle movement came at a cost, Meyer said.

“For the last 100 years or so, the main thinking and transportation planning and design was to try to accommodate fast vehicle movement — that was kind of the number one priority,” he said. “Over the last few decades, there’s been, really, a cultural shift — not just in Austin, but around the country — that people really want safer streets. They want other options.”

Austin is home to 280 square miles of land, meaning the act of retrofitting is one that won’t happen overnight. However, Meyer said the program is seeing progress in intersections that have already been treated with safety upgrades.

In the past two years, the program has finished work on seven major intersection safety projects and was in the midst of work on 25 other intersections. Forty locations have been treated with low-cost, high-impact system improvements, with speed limits lowered on almost 50 arterial roads and hundreds of residential streets.

And among the city’s High-Injury Network — or roadways that account for the highest concentration of serious and fatal crashes — South Pleasant Valley Road has reported an 82% reduction in injuries and fatal crashes of all modes since its multimodal safety project.

“We’re excited about the results we’re seeing,” he said. “We know they’re improving people’s lives, they’re saving lives and preventing serious injuries. And we’re going to continue to double down on those kinds of strategies.”

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· 9:37 pm

Man sentenced 15 years on 2 charges after 2 ejected, killed in September 2021 crash

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was sentenced to serve time in prison Wednesday in connection with a September 2021 crash that killed two people. According to Travis County court records, 26-year-old Tristan Reyna submitted two guilty pleas April 20 related to the crash—one for intoxication manslaughter and another for an accident involving death.

Records showed a court sentenced Reyna to serve 15 years for the intoxication manslaughter charge and 5 years for the accident involving death charge.   According to past coverage, a vehicle driven by Reyna crashed into a building in the 4100 block of Medical Parkway on Sept. 23, 2021, and 37-year-old Travis Douglass and 34-year-old Audrey Petty were ejected. Austin Police said Douglass and Petty died as a result of the crash.

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April 17, 2023 · 12:42 am

Father of Georgetown teen killed by suspected fentanyl poisoning shares story; two arrested recently

FENTANYL POISONING: Layton Ivins' Story - YouTubeGEORGETOWN — The family of Layton Ivins is speaking out after losing the teen to an alleged case of fentanyl poisoning last month.  Cody Ivins, Layton’s father, said the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating his son’s death.   Now: Two people have been arrested.  WCSO said, on Jan. 22, the student had fentanyl poisoning and died. The Williamson County Organized Crime Unit, with the help of surrounding agencies, made the arrests, the release said. It did not identify the suspects.  “I wake up every day and have to remind myself that he’s not here,” Ivins said.

Ivins said he was just a teen when Layton entered his life. Sadly, the child he said was bright, musical and affectionate won’t have the same chance to grow up.  “I’ve known him since I was a kid. It’s always just been me, Layton, and his little brother. Almost like a tripod together,” Ivins said.

He said what he can share about his son’s passing is limited, but said it was unintentional and the first time his son tried a substance with fentanyl.  Now Cody is teaching other parents about drugs like Narcan which can stop an opioid overdose until medical attention is received. He said information needs to be spread to students directly through school programs and assemblies.  His loss is all too-real proof that fentanyl-related deaths can happen anytime and anywhere.  “It’s going to continue to happen if it’s not talked about and people aren’t conscious, and people aren’t prepared,” Ivins said.

Dr. Jessica Cance is a substance researcher with RTI International which studies substance trends, prevention and harm reduction. She is also a parent in Leander who has delivered addresses on harm-reduction practices in neighboring school districts including Georgetown ISD.  Cance said right now, it’s riskier than ever to try certain illicit substances with the super-strong opioid fentanyl contaminating others.  “It really is true that you could use a drug once and if it’s mixed with fentanyl that you don’t know about, you really could experience an overdose,” Cance said.  Cance said prescription pills that look like oxycodone, hydrocodone and Xanax can often appear to be the name brand drug but actually be a mix of a variety of ingredients, one of the most dangerous being fentanyl.  As fentanyl-testing strips are still illegal in the state of Texas, Cance recommends families carry naloxone, known by the name brand Narcan. It’s a nasal spray that stops opioid overdose symptoms from progressing and gives its user enough time to get medical attention.

With an outstanding nationwide prescription for naloxone in place, it can be picked up at any pharmacy.  Dr. Cance ahead of her interview with KXAN did so just hours before.  “I went to the counter, asked them if they had Narcan — they filled it. I was able to just pay my health care prescription copay and walked out with two doses,” said Cance.  Naloxone has become available for free as well.  The University of Texas at San Antonio’s School of Nursing is one agency distributing the life-saving drug through an online form.  Organizations like the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance are directing people to MoreNarcanPlease.com to receive naloxone.

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February 16, 2023 · 1:45 am

Georgetown State Senator Schwertner arrested in Austin, charged with driving while intoxicated

Austin police arrest Texas senator on DWI charge, records show | KXAN AustinAUSTIN (KXAN) — A Texas senator from Georgetown was arrested by the Austin Police Department and charged with driving while intoxicated early Tuesday morning.  Online jail records show Charles Jeffrey Schwertner, 52, was booked into the Travis County Jail just after 2 a.m. Tuesday.  According to APD, officers conducted a traffic stop at about 12:46 a.m. at the intersection of Avenue B and West 45th Street. That’s near The Triangle in central Austin. During the interaction, officers arrested Schwertner, police said.

Schwertner’s Texas Senate bio said the Republican has represented the Texas Senate District 5 since 2013. That district covers a 10-county region including Brazos, Freestone, Grimes, Leon, Limestone, Madison, Milam, Robertson, Walker and Williamson counties.  Lt. Governor Dan Patrick put out a statement about Schwertner’s arrest, condemning his actions. But Patrick said he will await any final outcomes in court before further commenting or taking any action.  “There is zero excuse for driving under the influence and putting lives in danger, in particular by a member of the legislature whose conduct should be held to a higher standard,” Patrick said in a press release.

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February 6, 2023 · 6:54 pm

Austin to expand work to make streets safer with $22.9 million Safe Streets and Roads grant

Safer Streets and Roads for All logoAUSTIN, Texas – The U.S. Department of Transportation announced this week that the City of Austin will receive a $22.9 million grant to make its streets safer for everyone. The grant is part of the $5 billion Safe Streets and Roads for All program, which was established as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  In total, Austin Transportation plans to implement safety improvements at more than 60 locations through this grant, with at least half of project funding allocated to underserved communities.

“This is an investment in saving lives, especially by reducing too frequent collisions with pedestrians and cyclists,” said Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin). “This federal funding supports City efforts to assure safer, more accessible and inclusive transportation for our neighbors across Austin, including economically disadvantaged neighborhoods where a disproportionate amount of traffic-related injuries and fatalities have been occurring.”

Austin has a proven record of reducing severe crashes through its Vision Zero safety initiatives. Safety improvements have led to a 31% reduction in the annual number of fatal or serious injury crashes at major intersections and a 17% decrease in fatal and serious injury crashes on the city’s High-Injury Roadways. Austin voters have consistently shown their support to make streets safer, approving Vision Zero safety investments in 2016, 2018 and 2020 Mobility Bonds.

However, much work remains in a city of more than 280 square miles and a rapidly growing population. Last year, 117 people died on Austin streets and hundreds more were seriously injured.  “As a member of the Austin City Council, I supported Austin adopting Vision Zero as a policy goal and establishing a new framework when it comes to road safety,” said Rep. Greg Casar (D-Austin). “Traffic violence is a public health crisis that affects everyone, especially poor communities. I’m thankful to the USDOT for putting emphasis on resources where they are needed the most.”

Austin’s underserved communities continue to disproportionately die and experience serious injuries on the roads. Based on available data, the Black/African American community makes up a disproportionate share of severe crash victims and the Hispanic and Latino community makes up an increasing share of severe crash victims in Austin.

“This grant will accelerate Austin’s ability to deliver life-saving infrastructure improvements to our community. It is through a team effort that we will end the tragic and preventable fatalities and injuries on our roadway system,” Mayor Kirk Watson said.  When it comes to evaluating specific locations and treatments for safety improvements, Austin takes a systemic approach. That means evaluating the safety and equity impacts of engineering treatments and selecting context-specific tools that are going to make the most difference. Those tools could include traffic signal installations, high-visibility crosswalks, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, added turning lanes, medians or other changes.

You can find the news release from the U.S. Department of Transportation here.

The City of Austin Transportation Department works to provide a safe, efficient, innovative, cost-effective and sustainable transportation system that connects roadways, bikeways, walkways and transit systems in order to bring improved access and mobility to our community. We are taking proactive steps to engage and educate the community. Visit AustinTexas.gov/Transportation.

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