News

Emergency crews have busy night at SXSW

Claudia Grisales

03/15/2013

March 15--Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Service workers responded to 35 incidents overnight Thursday into Friday during South by Southwest festivities and took 20 patients to area hospitals, officials said.

On Wednesday night, emergency medical workers responded to 33 incidents and took 20 patients to area hospitals, officials have said. A large number of those incidents occurred between the boundaries of Fourth and Eighth streets and Congress Avenue and Red River, according to an incident map released by officials.

Among those calls, workers responded to several vehicle crashes, traumatic injuries, medical complaints, reports of unconscious patients, and several patients with alcohol-related complaints, officials said.

In one incident, a state legislator and two others were taken to area hospitals following a crash involving two vehicles and a bicyclist. Police say State Rep. Naomi Gonzalez, 34, D-El Paso, was also arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated following the crash.

Shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday, Gonzalez was traveling south on Congress Avenue at about 50 mph when her car rear-ended a Fiat near the Barton Springs Road intersection, police and Austin-Travis County EMS officials have said. The Fiat, also in a southbound lane, then struck a woman on her bicycle, officials said.

Gonzalez, the bicyclist and a passenger in the Fiat were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries, an EMS official said. The bicyclist suffered scrapes and bruises.

Austin-Travis County EMS has said the agency has boosted staffing to handle an increased call volume, especially along the downtown area during the busy SXSW week of festivities.

The agency plans to continue its increased staffing for the duration of SXSW festivities, with heightened focus during evenings and weekends.

Among the increased staffing plans, an additional nine paramedic-personnel staffed motorcycles and vehicles have been added to their normal on-duty fleet.