Police ID Victim, Give Details On North Austin Hit-And-Run Death

NORTH AUSTIN, TEXAS — Police on Friday released details related to the hit-and-run death of a pedestrian in North Austin this week.

Police were called to the 1100 block of North Interstate 35 northbound on Nov. 4, 2018, just before 7 a.m. amid reports of a pedestrian struck by a car. Police learned that Brett Lambert, 21, was standing in the roadway when he was struck by a vehicle. The driver left the scene without rendering aid or calling 9-1-1, police noted. No vehicle identification is known.

A passerby called the emergency police line to notify officials, according to a press advisory. Police arrived at the scene and found Lambert with obvious trauma throughout his body as a result of the impact. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police continue to investigate the case. In the meantime, they urge anyone with information to reach detectives by calling (512) 974-3761. Those with information on this incident also can submit tips by downloading APD’s mobile app, Austin PD, for free on iPhone and Android.

The incident adds to a deadly toll on Austin roadways, already exceeding that of 2017. The latest traffic death was the 65th fatal traffic crash of 2018, resulting in 66 fatalities this year, police said. At this time in 2017, there were 56 fatal traffic crashes and 60 traffic fatalities, officials added.

The incident also was the third involving a pedestrian death in as many days in what appears to be a growing, deadly trend on Austin roadways:

• On Nov. 2, an unidentified 68-year-old black woman was struck by a car along the 6200 block of Manchaca Road just before 7:30 a.m. A preliminary police investigation shows that the woman was crossing Manchaca Road from a bus stop when she was struck by a white, 2014 Nissan that was traveling southbound on Manchaca Road. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
• The next day, on Nov. 3, The following day on Nov. 3, 27-year-old Aaron Ross Weir was struck by a car while standing along the 11300 block of North MoPace southbound. He was rushed to the hospital for medical treatment, but succumbed to his injuries some three hours later.

Related stories:

Police ID Pedestrian Struck, Killed Along MoPac

Police Release Details On Pedestrian's Death Along Manchaca Road

Texas Officials To Launch Pedestrian Safety Campaign

The pedestrian death count isn't endemic to Austin, but part of a statewide trend. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, there were 5,897 pedestrian fatalities statewide last year, 29 of those in Austin alone. The lion's share of that toll occurred at night, largely centered on Interstate 35, officials said.

A year ago this month, in an effort to mitigate the growing death toll, TxDot launched a pedestrian awareness campaign aimed at Texas motorists. Lauched at the TxDot Austin District headquarters at 7901 N. Interstate 35, the "Be Safe Be Seen" campaign seeks to shed light on the need for motorists and pedestrians alike to stay visible and obey traffic laws.

Not a month seemingly goes by in Austin without a report of a pedestrian death. Last year, many such incidents were reported:

• On Nov. 24, a man in his 40s was struck and killed by a car at around 8 p.m. along West Slaughter Lane at Palace Parkway in South Austin, roughly a half-mile west of South 1st Street. The man was dead at the scene by the time emergency workers arrived. The same night, in nearby Buda, Texas, another man was struck and killed on the Texas 45 ramp to I-35 some two hours later.
• Four days before that on Nov. 20, a pedestrian was killed along the 5300 block of I-35 southbound in the northern part of Travis County. Police said a 2010 Jaguar was driving southbound on the highway when the pedestrian ran across the southbound lanes of the highway before being hit.
• The previous month in East Austin, Epifanio Jimenez-Garcia, 61, was crossing from east to west along the 100 block of Robert T. Martinez Jr. St. on Oct. 13 when he was struck by a vehicle. Police said Jimenez failed to look both ways to check for traffic before walking on the roadway. He was rushed to Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas, where he died of his injuries the following morning.
• Just two weeks later on Oct. 27, Jasper Bailey, 34, was killed after being struck by two vehicles as he stood in the middle of the road at night wearing all-black clothing. Police are unsure why Bailey was standing in traffic on Oct. 27 at 9 p.m. when he was struck along the 3400 block of South Lamar Boulevard.
• In September, Sterlin Adreon Milam, 38, was killed while standing in a North Austin roadway before being struck by a Dodge Ram traveling westbound along the outside lane of 6600 block of McNeil Drive about ten minutes before 6 a.m. The pedestrian died at the scene, while the motorist stopped to wait for police to arrive.
• In early August, Kenyae Monique Dixon, 25, was killed in North Austin after trying to cross along a portion of I-35. A police investigation found a car traveling northbound in the left lane of the 8300 block of North I-35 was traveling at a high rate of speed on Aug. 3 before striking Dixon. Dixon was pronounced dead at about 20 minutes before 10 p.m.
• In May, Bobby Joe Duke, 48, exited a bus that had come to a stop to pick up other passengers in the 2500 block of East Stassney Lane on April 27 when he ran in front of the bus across the roadway before being struck by a vehicle. The vehicle that struck Duke was traveling westbound on the inside lane just before 6:30 a.m. Duke was taken to St David's South Austin Medical Center, but died the following day.

Earlier incidents included:

• In November 2016, James Arthur Gantt, 61, was struck by a pickup truck while he tried crossing across a portion of I-35 in North Austin. The fatal collision occurred along the 5300 block of North I-35 just before 6 a.m.
• On Dec. 17, 2015, Gary Crescini, 45, died when a vehicle traveling westbound in the 3000 block of East State Highway 71 left the roadway, careened into the center median and struck him. The driver fled the scene after hitting Crescini, police said. It's uncertain what time the incident occurred, but police estimate it happened in a time frame between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m..

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