String of deadly motorcycle crashes in Austin raises concerns
AUSTIN, Texas - It has been a deadly Presidents Day weekend on Central Texas roads. Two deadly crashes on Sunday alone are highlighting a concerning trend when it comes to crashes involving motorcycles and pedestrians.
In North Austin, a pedestrian was killed early Sunday morning on East Anderson Lane near I-35. Officials say the victim was a Good Samaritan who pulled over following another crash.
"It does sound like it was somebody that stopped to check on an incident and was ultimately hit," said Capt. Christi Stedman of Austin-Travis County EMS. "Obviously we all appreciate the Good Samaritans that stopped to make sure that people are OK, but just do it in as safe a way as you can possibly do it."
Then, Sunday night, there was a deadly crash involving a motorcycle and an 18-wheeler along SH-71 near Burch Drive in Del Valle.
"I work at the gas station. I came out to pick up the trash," said witness Robert Latta. "I heard a motorcycle hit the back end and went underneath the tires, and I saw a family out here crying, so I already knew what happened."
That biker was pronounced dead at the scene.
"I’ve been here four years. I’ve seen two crashes, but this is the first that had a death involved," said Latta. "In my opinion, that’s not a good place for an intersection anyway, where the crash happened. They need to put a light or street lights where people can see better."
Officials say there’s a larger trend here.
In February alone, there were 36 auto-pedestrian collisions in Austin and Travis County — three of them fatal.
There have been 27 motorcycle crashes so far this month — with five fatalities. The bikers killed ranged in age from 43 to just 21.
Stedman says many motorcycle wrecks are preventable.
"For the riders, it's wearing a helmet that fits properly. It's wearing that protective gear," said Stedman. "For drivers and regular passenger vehicles, you know you got to check your blind spots. Sometimes motorcycles are really small and those mirrors."
As for those deadly pedestrian crashes, Stedman says most of them happen on highways.
"I can't stress enough how important it is not to be a pedestrian on a major roadway that's a highway or a big road like, you know, Burnet or William Cannon or something like that."
Many crashes are caused by people simply not paying attention. Stedman urges drivers to minimize distractions by leaving your cell phone alone, never text or scroll through social media, avoid eating a meal behind the wheel, and stay alert to what’s happening around you.
Police have not yet identified the victims in this weekend’s crashes.
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MORE HEADLINES:
SH 71 crash involving semi-truck and motorcycle leaves 1 person dead
Man hit, killed by car after stopping to help another driver
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