RICHMOND, Texas — Leaders, advocates, and grieving families gathered Friday at the George Ranch in Fort Bend County for a pedestrian safety forum, with one central message: Texas must do more to protect people in crosswalks.
The event centered on the Lisa Torry Smith Act, a 2021 state law requiring drivers to stop and yield for pedestrians and cyclists in crosswalks. The law was named after Lisa Torry Smith, a Missouri City mother killed in a crosswalk in 2017. After her case was no-billed, Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton and Torry’s sister Gina helped lead the push to change state law.
“Most of our jurisdictions have agencies who are willing to do these investigations,” Middleton said during the forum. “And just the mutual respect to trust the agencies in your jurisdictions to enforce the law,” he added…