Fort Bend County’s first-ever case under the Lisa Torry Smith Act has ended with a maximum probation sentence and jail time for the driver involved.
Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian M. Middleton announced that Bao Lung Giang, arrested in 2023 after an auto-pedestrian crash in the New Territory subdivision, pleaded to a 10-year deferred adjudication probation.
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The crash killed Donald Yeager, who was walking in a crosswalk when he was struck.
Giang’s sentence includes a $5,000 fine, 300 hours of community service, and 120 days in jail. He must also attend an annual Victim Impact Panel, take defensive driving each year, and read letters written by Yeager’s family.
His driving will also be “severely restricted,” and he’ll undergo random drug tests throughout his supervision.
The case marks the first time Fort Bend County has charged someone under the Lisa Torry Smith Act, a law created after the 2017 death of Lisa Torry Smith, who was hit and killed in a crosswalk while walking her son to school.
The law requires drivers to fully stop for pedestrians and cyclists in clearly marked crosswalks and makes it a felony to seriously injure someone who is legally crossing.
Middleton drafted the legislation and worked with State Rep. Ron Reynolds and State Sen. Joan Huffman to carry it through the 2021 Texas Legislature. It passed with bipartisan support and was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June of that year.
“This was the first case my office charged under the Lisa Torry Smith Act, but it has not been the last,” Middleton said. “We hear reports of motorists completely ignoring pedestrians in crosswalks across the county, including children in school zones. But this can be prevented. And while nothing can replace Donald Yeager, my hope is that his tragic loss of life will grab drivers’ attention and prevent more tragedies.”
The third-degree felony charge, Collision Involving Pedestrian in a Crosswalk–Serious Bodily Injury, carries a potential penalty of 2 to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.