Mark Narvaez, Kate Garcia Killed in Motorcycle Accident on Ben White Blvd Service Rd in Austin, TX
UPDATE (January 13, 2022): The motorcycle passenger killed in this accident has been identified as 22-year-old Kate Garcia.
UPDATE (December 20, 2022): Sources have identified one of the victims of this crash as 23-year-old Mark Narvaez. The passenger on his motorcycle remains unidentified at this time.
Investigators also noted that the driver who crashed with Narvaez, 51-year-old Roberto Rangel, failed to yield right of way while exiting a Starbucks parking lot and triggered the collision. Rangel faces two preliminary charges of intoxication manslaughter.
Austin, TX — December 18, 2022, two people died in a traffic accident involving a motorcycle on the Ben White Boulevard service road in South Austin.
Authorities say the incident happened shortly before 2:45 a.m. on the 500 block of the East Ben White Blvd service road near Warehouse Row. The cause and circumstances of the accident aren't clear yet, but a Kawasaki motorcycle and a Chevy Silverado reportedly collided in the area under unknown circumstances. One person was pronounced dead at the scene and another died a short time later despite attempted life-saving measures.
The investigation continues. No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Mark Narvaez Accident in Austin
UPDATE (December 20, 2022): With later reports saying the other driver is to blame for the accident, possibly due to being drunk, the nature of the investigation may change somewhat. If the suspect's intoxication is confirmed by clear evidence, then a further important step would be finding out where his alcohol came from that night.
Under Texas dram shop law, a licensed alcohol vendor (bar, club, restaurant, store, etc) that sells or serves drinks to an obviously intoxicated customer may be liable for any injuries he causes or suffers while under the influence. Put another way, it's not always just a drunk driver who's legally accountable for a crash--it's also the place that helped him get that way. Dram shop makes sure that negligent businesses who over-serve their customers are held accountable, both to the state for breaking the law and to the people they hurt by doing so. I hope authorities took the needed steps to see that done.
