Austin man first to be prosecuted under new crosswalk law
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- čas přidán 8. 06. 2024
- Lisa Torry Smith was struck and killed crossing the street with her son, in a crosswalk, and in a school zone in Fort Bend County in the Houston area in October 2017. Torry said her nephew was severely injured but survived.
Officials tell KXAN investigators the driver that hit and killed Smith was not charged. It’s something Torry said she kept thinking about through her grief.
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WTF? I didn't realize that crosswalks were a "free pass to murder and mame" zone. Insanity.
Thought it was always illegal to kill someone in a crosswalk?????
My thoughts exactly.😔
no
It is. The cray-cray are never able to accept our moral condition, and they always seek more power over others than they ought have. It's like a constant of human behavior. Hate Crime is the same way. It's not enough to make the behavior illegal. They want to make you suffer for wrongthink and crimes against ideology.
Apparently, not in Texas! 🙄
It's a "feel good" law that pretty much duplicates what other laws could cover. Though the new law may apply a harsher penalty (but they likely could've just changed the penalty for existing law).
This guy got 5 yrs PROBATION for killing someone! Our judicial system is broken.
Please stop saying our judicial system is broken because you don’t like the outcome. It just doesn’t make sense. Even if it’s true that this case was completely handled wrong, that’s like saying your car is completely broken because it has a flat tire.
And something tells me you would feel very differently if you were that man or he was a family member of yours. You would say why is a simple mistake they just so happen to kill someone mean he should spend years in prison. When someone gets in a simple car accident should they also go to prison for assault with a deadly weapon? If not, why not? Maybe every time someone has a car accident someone to go to prison. And if it doesn’t happen then I’m gonna say the system is broken. Completely broken. I think it’s emotional reactive thinking.
@@iMatti00You would be singing a different tune if it had been one of your family members in that crosswalk.
Intentional and negligent acts are treated differently.
@@williamwilson6499 not everyone wants blood for blood
@@iMatti00 You say: "stop saying our judicial system is broken". The First Amendment to the Constitution says You don't tell anyone in the US what to say. And it looks as though you want to tell us how to think. Too many have tried that over the years it shines a poor light on you. Please share your opinion and keep the 'gas lighting' to yourself.
My opinion,,, he didn't want to stop to look at his phone and killed someone with his car. If it had been done with a gun and he said "it was an accident" the first time in court would have had a sentence with more impact.
At the end of the day his actions ended this person's life. Look around you, courts have been largely soft on crime for a few years and our society is deteriorating.
And again DO NOT tell people what they can say! Have a good day.
He got fuckin probation for murder? Are these people insane?
So killing a pedestrian wasn't already a law?
it was just misdemeanor.
If we enforced the laws already on the books, would we really need this "Crosswalk" law?
Very good point I'm surprised you don't have more replies God bless
Wait a minute... how is it even possible that this wasn't illegal to begin with?
There are crosswalks, but there may or not be signs indicating there is a crosswalk (they're not required) so essentially drivers have no idea if a person is at a crosswalk or jaywalking.
@@bnwo Regardless of the presence of signs, markers, or any other indicators, it has always been illegal to run someone down with your car. My shock and surprise is over the fact that this for some reason requires additional laws, when we already have laws regulating vehicular homicide.
@@KevinTumlinsonI agree and the guy ran a red light 🚦 and was on his phone 📱… I am pretty sure being on your phone without hands free isn’t legal in Austin.
@@bnwo yes, jaywalking, surely the most heinous act a person can commit
Pretty much pedestrians always have the right of way. Except in austin.
He got probation AND still couldn't show up for that?!?!
And pay a 30 dollar fee.
If he was looking at a cell phone while operating an automobile he should be sentenced to life at hard labor
Wow 18mo for murder, good thing we have a new law making it illegal.
Im confused. Been driving since 15, 52 now. I seem to think its always to be the law in the vehicle code to yield to pedestrians and if you struck someone, you were criminally liable? I am former LEO, and i have no idea what the point of this "new law" is.
Probation for killing someone? That's Nevada level "justice".
So you mean to tell me that all this time it's been legal to run over people in your car if they are in a cross walk. What if they are not in a cross walk? Is it still legal?
this is oíd, I thought pedestrians had the right of way?
apparently not in texas - until 3 years ago ..
HE SHOULDN’T OF RECEIVED PROBATION HE SHOULD OF BEEN IN PRISON……but this is America and NOBODY is held to account equal to the crime. 😡😡😡
crosswalks are dangerous because the walker thinks just because they’re in a crosswalk they don’t have to be aware or driver’s will always stop.
There are many layers of insanity to this story.
I see so many people run red lights (daily). And it’s not because they are distracted. It’s because they don’t want to wait a couple of minutes.
Wait, in texas up until three years ago, IT WASN'T A CRIME?
ugh
My wife and I arrived in California in 1985, military assignment. We never could figure out why people would honk at us when we stopped for school buses. A year or so later a law was passed that you had to stop for school buses. Also if you're in an accident and you say "I'm sorry" the law now says you aren't admitting fault. Before if you said "I'm sorry" it was automatically your fault. Now you can't be ticketed for jay walking.
The law is a joke if the guy got a 5 years probation for killing someone.
so killing wasn't illegal before...
Jesus Texas... you're only JUST doing this?
In fairness, it's Travis county aka Austin. They're our mentally stunted city and county. They are just as bad as NYC when it comes to law and enforcement of those laws
Its not Texas.. its Austin
If this law was in affect three years ago, why is it being enforced now???? Hmmmm
Austin needs to vote for better representation. Whatever is going on currently isn’t working.
This law is great... But _why is THIS the first time it's been enforced in the THREE YEARS since its passing??_
No other pedestrians have been hit and killed in Travis County crosswalks?
Seems... Weird, to say the least. I just hope there won't be *selective enforcement* of this law going forward.
Reason number (infinity symbol) to stay out of texas.
Who's coming up with these laws?
legislatures make laws
about dam time put him under the jail a throw away the key
Austin use to be a safe place to live before certain people started moving in.
7days ago, You violated with out being played.
Chill or pay up, it's a ticket.
Big Fair Ticket.
Another great news story , don't they understand the obvious question every person hearing the story is, wasn't running over a pedestrian already a crime, particularly after running a red light? They couldn't put a simple explanation of the difference between existing law and the new one?
😢
It's sad that many people don't understand CURRENT crosswalk law, but they're campaigning to spread the word about this "new" law.
Maybe squash people's misconceptions and teach them the CURRENT laws, like that drivers at crosswalks where there are no traffic signals are NOT to stop for pedestrians merely waiting to cross (like the WRONG way shown in the video [2:15, 3:26]), but are only required to stop for pedestrians that are actively crossing within the crosswalk. People will read Texas State Code 552.003(a) that reads "The operator of a vehicle shall stop and yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing a roadway in a crosswalk" and fail to recognize that the pedestrian needs to be "CROSSING" the roadway "IN" a crosswalk, not standing still waiting to enter the crosswalk [note that a crosswalk includes only a part of the roadway and does not extend beyond the roadway, so someone waiting on the sidewalk to cross is neither "crossing" nor "in" the crosswalk, therefore drivers are to drive by a pedestrian waiting to cross, and pedestrians are to wait for a safe gap in traffic before beginning to cross (LOOK LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT) ].
This is the law in every state (except solely in the city of Ann Arbor, MI, where that city was allowed to create their own Ordinance since Michigan doesn't have a state crosswalk statute (they just have a general state code that requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in the roadway), so they ended up creating an Ordinance that requires drivers to stop BEFORE a pedestrian begins crossing... and that Ordinance has been labeled "controversial" and even their own city government has contemplated repealing it on a few occasions because it doesn't align with the norm of the country).
He got probation first time - how Woke is the Judge! He should have been jailed but at least now he is in violation of his probation.
Not a Austin man
You need to pass a law for that? That's part of the problem. That statement from the Travis county da is cute.
Bumps slow car? ?
That's why, when crossing, keep your head on a swivel!!! As usual, the usual suspect (the cellphone) was the cause!!!
GET OFF YOUR DAMN PHONES! GET OFF YOUR DAMN PHONES! GET OFF YOUR DAMN PHONES!
HOW MANY TIMES DOES IT HAVE TO BE SAID ????????????
About time....
Is he innocent?
dumb ass law its illegal to hit a pedestrian anywhere
They to go back and prosecute Lisa Torreys killer
I walk constantly. I periodically think, “If one of these drivers runs my ass over, I hope I don’t have to lie on the street suffering.” It happens in the blink of an eye.
Cyclist here. I got sideswiped last month. Broke my collar bone in 4 places. It happened so fast. Once second I was riding, the next second I was on the road.
Don't trust any driver and watch every single vehicle.
@@chuckhunter77I'm sorry for your incident. It's just not safe on the roadways anymore for pedestrians, cyclists, or even motorcyclists.
All BS
yes... it was accident.
…or you can say that a law is being enforced.
bout time
Vote Blue for a safer America Democrats care about your safety issues
I need to know if Lisa Torry was in the wrong?
What was the race of the 64 yo victim he murdered?🤔
Probation for murder in Texas is ridiculous. But you're in the most liberal City in the state...
Gina Torry is FINE AF 😍. I just love WHITE women & blondes. 😊
O how very false christian of you
@@_Meng_Lan What?. What does hair color preference have to do with being Christian?
RACIST travis county wants to put a BLACK MAN as the poster boy for it.......
😂
Stop spreading lies.
Facts!!!
it will make others behave.. so is a win
Dam that Frank’s officer that opened the door for him at the 0:30 was so bad . I’ve been locked in Travis county jail the cos are the most abusive heartless people you’ll ever meet , but they got some bad latinas 👀
There are many layers of insanity to this story.