Early Tuesday morning, tragedy struck on the streets of Austin when a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle. The incident occurred in the 1900 block of East Ben White Boulevard SVRD EB at about 8:52 a.m., as reported in a news release from the City of Austin. Responding to the crash, Austin Police Department officers arrived on the scene to find Isiah Turner, a 29-year-old black male, gravely injured after the collision. Despite the rapid response of Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, who transported Mr. Turner to a local hospital, he was later pronounced dead.
The person behind the wheel stayed at the scene and cooperated with authorities as they began to slowly unravel the circumstances of the accident. This fatal incident is now registered as Austin's 7th fatal crash of the year, bringing the death toll in these crashes to 7 individuals, a stark comparison to last year, where by the same date, 10 crashes had already resulted in 10 fatalities.
As the investigation unfolds, citizens with information regarding this crash are being encouraged to step forward. The Austin Police Department's Vehicular Homicide unit is actively gathering details to determine the cause of the accident and, if necessary, to hold to account those responsible. In the hopes of piecing together the moments leading up to the crash, the public is urged to contact the unit at 512-974-8111. They have also made it possible to anonymously provide tips through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program, which can be visited at austincrimestoppers.org or reached by calling 512-472-8477.
