Fort Bend Co. officials to discuss punishments for drivers who hit people at crosswalks

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Texas drivers will now face stiffer punishments for hitting pedestrians at crosswalks.

This comes after a new law was named in honor of a Fort Bend County mother who was hit and killed while walking her son to school.

The accident happened in October of 2017 in Sienna.

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Lisa Smith died, and her little boy was left injured. But, the driver was only given a ticket. Nothing more.

Prosecutors eventually asked a Grand Jury to look into the case, but because the law was vague when it came to punishment, the driver never received a stiffer sentence.

"Let's say you're distracted or not paying attention because somebody is at a crosswalk," said Smith's husband. "There is no law that holds people accountable from a felony standpoint for injuring or killing people."

Now, the Lisa Smith act makes hitting someone in a crosswalk a Class A misdemeanor. If the person is seriously injured, it's a state felony.

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