Man In Wheelchair Fatally Struck By Car In South Austin

AUSTIN, TX — Police on Wednesday identified the wheelchair-bound pedestrian who was struck and killed by a car in South Austin last week.

According to a preliminary police investigation, a 1993 black Honda Civic was traveling eastbound along the 200 block of East Ben White Boulevard in the left lane of the service road on Feb. 14 when it struck the person in a wheelchair. The collision occurred just after 7:15 p.m.

The driver remained at the scene to cooperate with a resulting police investigation, police said, and no charges are expected to be filed. Police identified the wheelchair-bound man who died at the scene as Theodore Tjomsland, 56.

Those with information regarding this case are urged to call detectives at (512) 974-8544. or submit tips by downloading APD’s mobile app, Austin PD, for free on iPhone and Android.

Police said the inciIndent was the 17th fatal traffic crash of 2020 in Austin, resulting in 18 fatalities this year. The toll of roadway deaths already has far exceeded that during last year's comparable period, police added. At this time in 2019, officials said, there were seven traffic fatalities.

The deadly, upward trend of pedestrians being fatally struck by cars in the fast-growing city during recent months has claimed several pedestrians confined to wheelchairs. Last year, two other men confined to wheelchairs were fatally struck by cars within a four month period in South Austin:

• In July 2019, a man in a wheelchair sustained life-threatening injuries after being struck by a vehicle in South Austin. The incident occurred just after 10:30 p.m. at East Stassney Lane at South Congress Avenue, according to Austin-Travis County EMS. The man who later died of his injuries was identified as Felix Ybarra, 56. Police said he had been trying a part of the street where there was no crosswalk when he was struck by a vehicle.
• On Oct. 13, 2019, 23-year-old David Tienda was seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle at the intersection of William Cannon Drive and Emerald Forest Drive in South Austin. Confined to a motorized wheelchair, Tienda attempted to cross northbound on Emerald Forest Drive against the light when he was struck by a truck, police said at the time. He succumbed to his injuries three days later.