Austin Attorney Hits Pedestrian, Arrested for Hit-and-Run

Driver An Advocate For Injured Workers

An Austin couple was crossing a service road next to Interstate 35 last Saturday night when a black Porsche sped through a U-turn and struck the man. Police arrived to find the Ernesto Gonzales with head injuries and deep lacerations all over his body.

The driver was nowhere to be seen, having fled the scene of the wreck. However a witness recorded the license plate of the hit-and-run vehicle, which police traced back to a residence.  Investigators matched the address to the house — also the office — of Brian White.

Police found a damaged black Porsche with this license plate parked outside in his driveway. The windshield had a “basketball-sized indention, which was shattered, caved-in and had bits of blood and flesh imbedded in the broken glass.” The police report also describes blood and handprints on the driver’s side mirror and scuffs on the hood and front fender.

Mr. White admitted that he had hit a pedestrian but claimed the man insisted he not call emergency services. The woman who was walking with the victim contradicted Mr. White’s unlikely scenario. Even if true, police were required to be called.

Police have charged the 37 year-old attorney with a third-degree felony.

And it’s even harder to believe that Mr. White previously worked as deputy public counsel and chief of staff of the Office of Injured Employee Counsel. According to the Houston Chronicle, Mr. White was fired from that job after eight years last fall. Among the reasons for his termination:  “for allegedly taking Fridays off without reporting it as vacation, stealing artwork from the office and changing policies to try to make it allowable for him to get a $40,000 bonus for tuition in a master’s degree program.”

What is Going on in Austin?

Austin has already had twice as many fatal motor vehicle wrecks in 2015 than at this time last year. Factors contributing to this discouraging statistic are intoxication, distracted driving and speeding — factors that are likely to play a part in Saturday’s hit-and-run.

If you were injured in an automobile or truck accident, the Berenson Injury Law conducts a thorough investigation and holds the careless driver accountable. Call our firm at 1-888-801-8585 or in Fort Worth at 817-885-8000 or fill out the form online here for a free consultation.

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