It doesn’t happen often, but when it does it always makes the news.

Last week a UT freshman was hit by a Cap Metro bus that ran a red light on Guadalupe St. Fortunately, the student escaped from the incident relatively uninjured. He was taken to St. David’s hospital near the UT campus, treated for minor wounds and released the same day. The driver was given a citation for running a red light.

Other bus accidents this year haven’t ended so fortunately. On January 30, 53 year-old Amanda Dewey was struck while she was in a crosswalk. According to the Austin Police Department, both Dewey and the bus had a green light, through the Dewey had the right-of-way. The bus, which turned left into Dewey, was pinned on top of her for 25 minutes. She died over a week later on February 8 due to her injuries. At the time this was the only instance in which a pedestrian had been killed by a Cap Metro bus.

However, only a few months later 22 year-old UT student Andy Wang was crushed by a Cap Metro bus after stumbling in front of the vehicle.  Andy Wang rode the bus home from downtown that night with a friend. According to witnesses, he was highly intoxicated and had trouble walking. Upon exiting the bus, he stumbled back off the curb and fell in front of the bus. The driver, unaware of the incident, drove over Wang and killed him instantly. According to reports, the driver will not be charged with any criminal misconduct.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a pedestrian accident you should contact the McMinn Law Firm today for a free consultation.

Fiesta, an annual 11-day festival in San Antonio, is usually a dangerous time in terms of drunk drivers. Luckily, when Fiesta concluded on April 29, no DWI-related fatalities had been reported.

Over the 11 days of the festival, San Antonio police arrested 373 individuals for driving while intoxicated. Bexar County already has a 24-7 no-refusal policy in place. The Texas Department of Transportation approved funding to bring in more officers for the duration of Fiesta, which likely contributed to the significant increase in DWIs from years past. TxDOT also sold $20 cab vouchers to festival-goers who didn’t have a designated driver.

This year, Fiesta San Antonio brought almost 700,000 people to San Antonio. Because of the success of this year’s and last year’s initiatives, it is likely that the city will continue to enforce aggressive DWI policies and reach out to anti-drunk driving community partners in years to come. 

If you have been arrested for DWI, you should contact the McMinn Law Firm’s DWI lawyers today. 

A pedestrian died and another was injured who were hit by a car while walking on the hike and bike trail along Lady Bird Lake in Austin. The 81-year-old man died at the hospital overnight; the 42-year-old woman has broken bones.

21-year-old Joseph Rosales was driving a 1995 Hyundai Accent east on Cesar Chavez near the North Lamar Boulevard bridge after 5 p.m. when he lost control of his vehicle. His car jumped the curb, went into the hike-and-bike trail, hit a sign and then the two pedestrians. The police stated the pedestrians didn’t know each other.

Rosales has been charged with felony manslaughter and failure to stop and render aid, officials said. He was booked into the Travis County Jail shortly after 1 a.m. last night. Police are still investigating to determine why he ran into the sidewalk area.

In 2011, auto-pedestrian deaths rose by 83 percent in Austin, with 21 fatalities, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Pedestrian accidents are common in cities like Austin, but they shouldn’t be.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a bicycle or pedestrian accident you should contact the McMinn Law Firm today to get the justice you deserve. 

Spend any time in downtown Austin and you’re bound to see at least a few pedicabs, a rickshaw-like transportation device that hooks onto the back of a bicycle. Pedicab operations have grown in popularity in recent years, and Austin is now home to over 300 pedicab drivers. Due to the increase in pedicab use, the Austin City Council recently passed an ordinance regulating the transportation system’s safety.

The ordinance placed several restrictions on pedicab operation, requiring that the bicycles stay within a certain area and off state-maintained roads. Additionally, drivers must attach lights to their bikes, have working brakes, have proper insurance, and display a pedicab operator’s license. Lastly, the city voted to not approve any new pedicab permits for the next six months and may later place a cap on the number of pedicabs in the city.

As Austin continues to expand, alternate transportation options like pedicabs become more viable, as well as biking and walking. If you have been the victim of a bicycle or pedestrian accident, you deserve effective representation. Contact The McMinn Law Firm today.