South By Southwest Music Festival Crash Victim Leaves Hospital
On behalf of Lovett Law Firm posted in Brain Injury on Friday, March 21, 2014.
Street festivals happen all across nd the rest of the country. Most people never consider the possibility of injury or death when they are in attendance. For many at Austin’s South by Southwest music festival, the night ended in tragedy.
An allegedly drunk driver fleeing from police plowed into a crowd of people attending the festival. An officer saw the man traveling the wrong direction on a one-way street. The pursuit ended when the man acted as though he was pulling into a gas station but continued on down the street. The officer was not able to get out of the crowded gas station parking lot to continue the pursuit.
The man drove through a barricade, striking pedestrians, moped riders and other vehicles. He almost struck a police officer. Two people died at the scene and almost two dozen others were injured. A third victim died on March 17 from her injuries.
According to a KHOU-TV report on March 18, one teenager, who suffered a serious head injury and multiple broken bones, was released from the hospital. Her boyfriend was critically injured and remains at University Medical Center Brackenridge. Because of the severity of his brain injury, doctors put him into a coma to assist with his healing.
The driver was taken into custody after trying to flee the crash scene. He was Tazed by officers. The 21-year-old man is now facing capital murder charges, which are punishable by the death penalty. He could also face as many as 23 counts of aggravated assault by vehicle for the injuries he caused.
Those who were injured and family members of those killed have a right to seek compensation in civil court for a variety of civil claims. Those claims could include damages for pain and suffering, medical expenses and lost wages.
Source: CNN, “Man who plowed car into crowd at SXSW charged with capital murder” Josh Rubin and Faith Karimi, Mar. 13, 2014