Thread: Texas bicyclist dragged for blocks by driver who failed to stop

By KXAN
Published: April 2, 2016, 1:43 pm


Elizabeth English was dragged underneath the vehicle for several blocks before the driver took off

AUSTIN, TX (KXAN) — A Texas bicyclist was left with severe injuries after a man hit her with a truck and dragged her several blocks.

The driver, Artemio Avila, faces charges for failing to stop and render aid after hitting the young woman.

On March 29 just after 10 p.m., officers received reports of a crash involving a bicyclist. According to the affidavit, Elizabeth English was dragged underneath the vehicle for several blocks before the driver took off. Police say the bicyclist was dragged for nearly half-a-mile, from Airport Boulevard to Greenwood Avenue.

Medical staff report that English is still listed in critical condition.

While the driver didn’t stop, witnesses reported hearing her screaming as the truck dragged her for four-tenths of a mile.

“There are so many cases, that I can make a living just representing cyclists,” said attorney Brad Houston. Houston has represented hundreds of cyclists injured in car crashes over the years, he called the affidavit in English’s case, the most disturbing thing he’s ever read.

Witnesses were able get a description of the vehicle as a Dodge Ram pickup with an attached camper shell. The next day, an Austin Police Department officer on his way home from work noticed the suspect’s truck. He was familiar with the suspect vehicle because he was involved in the crash scene investigation the night before. Damage observed to the vehicle included blood on the hood and fresh paint scrapes.

An on-duty officer came and followed the vehicle into Kyle, where the driver was pulled over for a traffic stop. The driver, Artemio Avila, was arrested but he claimed he did not know anything about the crash, according to court documents.

During police questioning Avila said he was home the night of the crash by 6 p.m. and had allowed his cousin to lend the truck to a man named Chago, continued in the affidavit. When police questioned Avila’s cousin, Jesus Aguilar, he told officers he didn’t know anyone named Chago and that Avila wasn’t home until after 10 p.m. on the night of the crash.

Avila eventually admitted to police he was involved in the crash, claiming to have heard a “slight bump on the passenger side of the truck,” as stated in the affidavit. “He was more worried about himself than the fact that he was killing a fellow human being and that is very disturbing,” said Houston.

Avila is being held on a $100,000 bond. He is also being held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer. The agency tells KXAN, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed a detainer with Travis County Jail on Artemio Gomez-Avla on March 31. ICE is focused on smart and effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes the removal of convicted criminal aliens, recent border crossers and immigration fugitives who have failed to comply with final orders of removal issued by the nation’s immigration courts.”

On a Facebook page dedicated to Elizabeth’s recovery, it says she’s communicating through a white erase board. Friends say despite her injuries, she is smiling, upbeat and giving everyone the thumbs up.

Friends of English have set up a GoFundMe account to help with her medical bills.

http://wncn.com/2016/04/02/texas-bic...ailed-to-stop/

Texas cyclist is dragged screaming for 2,000 feet under a truck leaving her with horror injuries including an exposed SPINE

By CLEMENCE MICHALLON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 18:24 EST, 3 April 2016 | UPDATED: 18:49 EST, 3 April 2016

*Elizabeth English was riding in Austin, Texas when the truck hit her
*She kept her head up to protect her brain as the vehicle kept going
*The muscles on her back and her spine are exposed as she has no skin left
*Her organs are fine but she has serious injuries to her leg, back and hip
*Artemio Gomez Avila, 41, was charged with failure to stop and render aid

A Texas cyclist was dragged 2,000 feet by a truck that hit her and kept going.

Elizabeth English was riding her bike in Austin, Texas when a pickup truck hit her earlier this week, trapping her underneath.

She kept her head up to protect her brain, leaving the rest of her body badly injured. Detectives said witnesses heard her screaming.

Artemio Gomez Avila, 41, has been arrested and charged with failure to stop and render aid as authorities say he kept driving after hitting English.

English, a psychiatry student at the University of Texas, was on her way home when a Dodge pickup truck hit her from behind, according to a Go Fund Me page set up for her.

Ella Feaster, a witness who lives near the scene of the crash, told KVUE she could hear her screaming as she was sitting on her own couch.

English suffered severe injuries to her leg, hip and back. Her lower spine and muscles are exposed as she has no skin left on her back.

Police say Avila drove away, leaving English to be rescued by witnesses.

'She didn't look human. She looked like an animal initially. Then after seeing that, we noticed it was a person,' one of them, Roger Taylor, told Fox 7.

Detectives got a description of the vehicle that struck English and arrested Avila the next day.

Avila initially told officers that he had lent his car to someone else and was home at the time of the crash, court documents say.


Artemio Gomez Avila


English (pictured) suffered severe injuries to her hip, leg and back and her lower spine and muscles were left exposed as she has no skin left. She will ultimately need skin grafting

He then admitted he had been involved in a crash but said he had only heard a 'slight bump' according to the affidavit.

He has now been charged with failure to stop and render aid and given a $100,000 bond. Avila is also being held on an immigration detainer, WISH-TV reported.

Meanwhile English is recovering in Austin's University Medical Center Brackenridge.

She was in critical condition after the crash and needed a breathing tube, communicating with a white erase board.

The breathing tube has now been taken out and English can speak again according to a Facebook page that tracks her progress.

She will have surgery on Monday to remove damaged tissue and will ultimately require skin grafting.

'Ironically, Beth's main concern is for her beloved fiancée Charlotte and her family and not herself!' the Go Fund Me page states.

'Beth remains positive, smiling, upbeat and giving everyone the thumbs-up.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...tting-her.html

KXAN Staff
Published: May 16, 2016, 11:03 pm Updated: May 17, 2016, 11:17 am


Avila charged with hitting bicyclist Elizabeth English. (APD)

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman dragged for more than a third of a mile, after being hit by a truck, is suing the man accused of hitting her.

Elizabeth English was riding her bicycle in East Austin back on March 29 when she was hit near Airport Boulevard and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. She’s now suing Artemio Gomez Avila and is asking for $1 million in damages.

Police say the driver kept going, even though English was trapped underneath. Witnesses reported hearing her screaming as the truck dragged her.

The next day, an Austin Police Department officer on his way home from work noticed the suspect’s truck. He was familiar with the suspect vehicle because he was involved in the crash scene investigation the night before. Damage observed to the vehicle included blood on the hood and fresh paint scrapes.

Avila eventually admitted to police he was involved in the crash, claiming to have heard a “slight bump on the passenger side of the truck,” as stated in the affidavit.

English suffered serious injuries. She will speak Tuesday at a press conference at 1 p.m.

Avila was also being held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer. The agency told KXAN at the time in a statement, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed a detainer with Travis County Jail on Artemio Gomez-Avla on March 31. ICE is focused on smart and effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes the removal of convicted criminal aliens, recent border crossers and immigration fugitives who have failed to comply with final orders of removal issued by the nation’s immigration courts.”



http://kxan.com/2016/05/16/women-dra...k-sues-driver/

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