A previous post here discussed how the number of pedestrian fatalities continues to rise across the country, even in the face of a traffic fatality rate that is declining on the whole. It was a sad coincidence that, shortly after that post, a pedestrian from out of state lost his life after attending a popular automobile racing event in the Austin area.
According to reports, the man was struck by a pickup truck during the evening of a Formula 1 United States Grand Prix event, an event which is attended by over 250,000 people. The driver of the pickup fled the scene after striking the pedestrian, and police have provided a description of the vehicle to the public.
While rescue personnel were able to respond quickly to the accident since many were already monitoring the racing event, the victim still died of his injuries. Law enforcement authorities will no doubt continue to investigate this accident. However, some residents who live near the track said that parking is inadequate for major events like this race. As a result, many pedestrians wind up walking a good distance along the shoulders of narrow rural roads. There have been other fatal accidents in the area.
Hopefully, the sheriff’s deputies who are working this accident will be able to track down the driver of the pickup and hold the driver legally accountable for leaving the scene of a deadly accident. Moreover, locating the driver will allow the victim’s family to potentially pursue compensation following this car accident.
