KATY, Texas – A subcontractor was spotted fixing the non-functioning blinking lights Friday at a South Mason Road crosswalk where a teenager was hit and killed the day before.
“It’s just horrible that it took someone having to die to come out and fix it,” Heather Price, a parent, said.
A driver was arrested and charged after Logan Dark, 14, was hit by a vehicle as he rode his bike near an elementary school Thursday morning, the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office said.
Dark was a freshman at Cinco Ranch High School.
[Click here to help Logan’s family with funeral expenses]
“It’s just not a good feeling knowing that a classmate isn’t going to be there anymore,” Brady Price, a CRHS student said.
Devin Delvalle, 20, has since been charged with a motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian or other vulnerable road user within the area of a crosswalk.
The crash took place around 6:40 a.m. on Mason Road near the Betty Sue Creech Elementary School in the Cinco Ranch area.
Update: This crash involves a fatality. Both directions of Mason are closed. Creech parents will need to access school from the north. #HouNews https://t.co/IVxhq3wjqR
— Constable Chad Norvell (@chad_norvell) September 28, 2023
Officials said the 14-year-old was riding his bicycle in the crosswalk when he was hit by the driver. According to FBCSO, the area where the teen was riding had proper signage that it appears the driver did not adhere to.
After the crash, Delvalle remained at the scene and was fully cooperative with deputies and investigators. He was later booked into the Fort Bend County Jail.
“This area was clearly marked, signage everywhere. There are all kinds of warnings. This was very avoidable,” Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton said.
However, the flashing lights for the crosswalk did not appear to be working the day of the accident. Middleton said that does not make a difference as far as the law is concerned.
“Whether they were flashing or not does not alleviate the responsibility to stop and yield,” Middleton said.
The Lisa Torry Smith Act, named after a Fort Bend County mother who was killed in 2017 while using a crosswalk, ensures stiffer penalties for drivers who seriously injure or kill people crossing the street at a crosswalk.
Additionally, two good Samaritans stopped and attempted to render aid to the child, who was later pronounced dead at the scene.
“This is a very sad and tragic incident on both sides, for the driver, and especially for the victim’s family,” Sheriff Eric Fagan said. “Drivers need to slow down and pay attention, and that’s extremely important in areas that are heavily traveled by children.”
Deputies said it is unclear if Delvalle was distracted while driving.
