On the evening of March 10, a severe traffic accident on N. Lamar Boulevard involving three vehicles, including an Austin Police Department patrol car, resulted in a tragic loss. The City of Austin reports that the incident claimed the life of Gracy Gomez Andres, a young Hispanic girl born on October 20, 2020, who passed away on March 14. The collision occurred at approximately 9:58 p.m., prompting responses from the Austin Fire Department, Austin Travis County Emergency Medical Services, and Austin Police Department.
According to the same report by the City of Austin, while the APD officer was en route to a Disturbance Hot Shot call, the patrol car, with its lights and sirens activated, collided with a civilian vehicle as it emerged from a driveway; this collision is set against a backdrop wherein this crash was Austin's 16th fatal traffic incident of the year, tallying a total of 20 fatalities so far, whereas by this date in 2024 the city had recorded only 12 fatal crashes resulting in 12 deaths. In addition to Gracy Gomez Andres, an adult in the same vehicle sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and the responding APD officer also suffered serious injuries, though not life-threatening.
Gracy Gomez Andres was transported to a local hospital with critical injuries after the crash but was pronounced deceased four days later. Others involved in the accident included two people in the third vehicle who were unharmed during the incident.
The preliminary findings suggest a tragic intersection of duty and happenstance where the responding officer, hastening through the silent sirens blaring to alert their passage amidst the hazards of active duty, was met with an unforeseen and catastrophic path of another, the adult and child on their own journey, their fates colliding in the briefest of moments; meanwhile, the Austin Police Department is encouraging anyone with information to reach out to the Vehicular Homicide unit, reminding the public that tips can be also submitted anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program.
The investigation into the particulars of this accident is ongoing and more details will emerge as the case progresses.
