Man charged with felony after crashing into taco truck, fleeing the scene: court documents

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Patrick Whitney

AUSTIN, Texas - An Austin man is facing a felony charge after police say he crashed into a taco truck and fled the scene. An employee working inside was injured in the crash.

58-year-old Patrick Whitney was charged with third-degree felony collision involving serious bodily injury according to court records. 

Court documents say Austin police officers responded to a "crash urgent call" just before 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 25 at the Taco Express food trailer. The call text reported a vehicle had run into the side of the trailer and that there were injuries involved.

When officers arrived, they noted fresh damage to the back right portion of the trailer, crumpled metal paneling and broken headlight covers. Inside the trailer, kitchen appliances had been pushed forward and utensils and napkins were strewn about.

Officers spoke with one employee whose nose was bleeding and had a wound to the bridge. He told officers he had been stocking water bottlers when he felt the impact of the crash. He was struck on the nose by the metal rack holding the cases of water and then a microwave fell off a refrigerator and struck him in the head.

The employee told officers the driver who struck the trailer was a regular customer named Patrick.

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Another employee who had been working at the cashier window told officers he saw a gray Volkswagen four-door collide with the side of the trailer. He said he couldn't get out of the main door because of the crash, so he jumped out the cashier's window.

The employee then confronted the driver, who said "I'm not staying around here for this" and began to drive off. The employee described the driver as a middle-aged, bald and skinny white man and provided officers with a picture of the driver's license plate and a video of the immediate aftermath of the crash.

That video showed the driver outside his vehicle, surveying the damage to both his car and the trailer. After he spoke to the employee, he got back in his vehicle and drove off. The employee said he had run after the driver, yelling at him to stop, but the driver did not.

Court documents say a records search for the license plate led investigators to Whitney. Officers went to his home and spoke with Whitney, who admitted to hitting the side of the food trailer. When asked why he didn't stay and give his insurance and contact information, Whitney said "they were all speaking Mexican, and they all came outside and surrounded my car, so I got scared and left."

Whitney's vehicle also had fresh damage to its front right side, including a busted headlight.

The owner of the trailer also provided security footage from a neighboring food trailer which showed the gray Volkswagen striking the back right side of the trailer and the employee confronting the driver.

A third-degree felony in Texas carries a punishment between two and 10 years in prison and/or a fine up to $10,000. 

Whitney is set for his first court appearance on Nov. 15.