A driver struck a person riding an e-bike on Johnny Morris Road in East Austin and then drove away without stopping to help, according to the Austin Police Department. The crash happened Saturday, August 22, at 10:05 p.m. in the 8400 block of the road, and the victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
APD’s Highway Enforcement Investigations Unit is now searching for the suspect vehicle, described as a dark-colored small SUV or truck with suspected damage to its right front end, under case number 26-2341460, as reported by KXAN Austin. Police say the vehicle left the scene without stopping to render aid to the injured rider. Anyone with information is asked to call 512-472-8477 or submit an anonymous tip through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers program, which is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for tips that lead to an arrest, per the Austin Police Department.
The station’s report notes the video accompanying its coverage previously addressed e-bike safety in Austin back in May. Under Texas Transportation Code § 550.021, a driver who fails to stop and render aid after a crash causing non-serious injury can face up to five years in state prison or a year in county jail, along with fines up to $5,000, according to FindLaw. Those penalties can escalate to felony charges if injuries are later determined to be serious or fatal.
A Street Long Flagged As Unsafe
Johnny Morris Road carries an official designation from the city as a “substandard street,” meaning it is a publicly owned road under 24 feet wide that lacks basic safety infrastructure like curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and bike lanes, according to the City of Austin Data Hub. That gap in infrastructure often forces cyclists and pedestrians onto narrow or unpaved shoulders alongside passing traffic…