How Can the City of Austin Reduce Drunk Driving Downtown?

It came as a complete shock to many when people learned that a drunk driver killed the popular Austin blogger Kelly Wayne Noel while downtown on April 26. Friends of Noel are now calling for the City of Austin to allow more cabs and public transportation options on busy nights, according to KVUE.

At the intersection of the northbound access road of Interstate 35 and 7^th street, Noel, 32, was struck by a vehicle when he attempted to cross the road at 1:15 a.m. The vehicle that hit Noel was driven by Wade Atwood, 40, who was turning out of a Wendy’s parking lot on the 700 block.

Picture of a truck running past a crosswalk

Atwood drove down the northbound access road of I-35 where he hit Noel. According to police reports, Atwood stopped right after the incident and waited until the cops arrived. He was arrested on the scene for having a blood alcohol content (BAC) level of .102, which is .022 over the legal limit of .08.

According to KVUE, Noel died later at the University Medical Center Brackenridge.

I Was Injured by a Drunk Driver and Need an Attorney

To show how prevalent drunk driving is in downtown Austin, KVUE reported that while police and emergency officials were investigating this fatal crash scene, “another suspected drunk driver drove through the blocked-off roadway.” The drunk driver nearly ran over several officers; the police were able to stop the driver and arrested him for DWI and marijuana possession.

Kelly Noel ran a popular Austin blog called the ATX Hipsters. With nearly 19,000 Twitter followers, Noel shared his love of all things Austin, especially when it came to the music scene.

The Law Offices of Aaron Allison – Austin Personal Injury Attorney