A hit-and-run crash in the early hours of March 13 at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin caused the deaths of two people and injuries to 23 more. As reported by ABC News, the incident occurred when a vehicle plowed through a crowd of pedestrians exiting a club after a concert had ended.
Prior to the incident, a patrol officer attempted to pull the man over after he was found driving the wrong direction on a one-way street. However, the driver accelerated suddenly and got away from the police and drove through the crowd at the festival. Witnesses say that the driver struck pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles for two blocks before stopping his car.
Reports indicate that the man want through the crowd of pedestrians and struck two people on a moped, both of whom died, before crashing through temporary barricades. When the car finally came to a stop, the driver exited the vehicle and tried to run, but was stopped by police officers who used a stun gun on him.
While investigation into the incident is still ongoing, police believe that the man was intoxicated while driving. Many victims are currently hospitalized for critical injuries, with doctors working to try and prevent additional deaths from the crash. The driver is now facing two counts of capital murder and 23 counts of aggravated assault by vehicle for the fatal pedestrian accident.
The Austin hit-and-run accident victim lawyers at Brown Trial Firm, PLLC send out their condolences to the victims of this tragic accident and hope that those in serious condition recover quickly and as completely as possible. For more information on your rights as a car crash victim, call us at (866) 393-2611 for a no-cost consultation.