RICHMOND, TX – (Covering Katy News) - An effort to educate the public on crosswalk safety laws in school zones begins today for the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office.
The focus is enforcing and educating the public about the Lisa Torry Smith Act, commonly called the Crosswalk Law.
Smith died after being struck by a car in a crosswalk while walking her son to school in 2017. The law requires drivers to yield the right of way to pedestrians in a marked crosswalk and requires drivers to come to a complete stop for any pedestrians or cyclists who are in the intersection.
"A concerned parent reached out to my office after she was almost struck by a vehicle who ignored the fact that pedestrians were in the crosswalk," said District Attorney Brain Middleton. "And worse, it was in a school zone when the crossing guard had already blown his whistle and turned on the crossing light."
Covering Katy file photo
Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton.
Middleton drafted the Lisa Tory Smith act on a promise to Lisa's sister, Gina Torry. He convinced State Representative Ron Reynolds, a Democrat, and State Senator Joan Huffman, a Republican, to sponsor the legislation in the 2021 Texas Legislature. Governor Abbott signed the bill into law on June 18, 2021.
Staff from the District Attorney's Office will be at E.A. Jones Elementary School in Missouri City this morning (Thursday, September 7, 2023) and will visit other schools in the coming weeks. Working with other law enforcement agencies, they will distribute flyers with additional information about crosswalk safety.
You can read more about pedestrian safety at https://www.txdot.gov/safety/traffic-safety-campaigns/pedestrian-safety.html.
Disclaimer: The owner of Covering Katy News, Dennis Spellman, is also an employee of the Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner's Office.
FBCDA
A crosswalk safety flyer that will be distributed by the District Attorney's Office.