HOUSTON – The Texas House of Representatives moved the Lisa Torry Smith Act into its final stages before it will likely become law.
The bill is named after a woman who was hit and killed in a crosswalk in Missouri City while walking her son to school in 2017.
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At the time of the incident, the driver responsible was cited with failure to yield, but never charged criminally and not indicted by a grand jury because the law didn’t allow it, KPRC 2 previously reported.
[RELATED: Grand jury declines to indict driver involved in crash that killed mother of 2 children]
Smith’s friends and family have called for a change “to cover a gap between a citation and a negligent homicide,” with the Lisa Torry Smith Act.
The bill proposes that it would become a criminal offense to hit someone in a crosswalk. It would be a Class A misdemeanor to hit someone in a crosswalk, and a state jail felony if the victim suffered serious bodily injury.
[RELATED: Texas lawmakers consider bill named after Missouri City woman killed in a crosswalk in 2017]
Through a third reading with the Texas House of Representatives, the Lisa Torry Smith Act awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature.
Once signed into law, the bill allows Texas drivers to face charges for hitting, killing, or injuring anyone who is using a crosswalk.