Newspaper Narrative

Villalon, husband seriously injured in traffic collision
By Ben Wear | Tuesday, October 18, 2011, 11:31 AM

Karla Villalon, the City of Austin Transportation Department’s public information manager and formerly an aide to ex-Austin Mayor Bruce Todd when he was a Travis County commissioner, and her husband Augusto were seriously injured early Sunday after their car was hit by a pickup at the Loop 360 and RM 2222 intersection.

The driver of the pickup, Johnny Alberto Dimas, 17, is in custody at Travis County jail and faces three felony charges of intoxication assault and one misdemeanor assault charge. Dimas and his passenger, Leslie Arellano, like the Villalons, were hospitalized at University Medical Center Brackenridge. Dimas’ injuries were minor, according to an arrest affidavit.

According to the affidavit, at about 7:40 a.m. Sunday Dimas was headed eastbound on RM 2222, going 85 mph in a 55 mph zone, when he lost control of his vehicle. After hitting a guardrail, his pickup broadsided the Villalons’ car on the driver’s side as they waited at a red light on Loop 360’s northbound access road. Augusto Villalon was behind the wheel.

Dimas failed sobriety tests administered at the hospital, according to the affidavit.

Karla Villalon suffered pelvis and eye bone injuries. Augusto Villalon suffered cardiac arrest and had internal bleeding, according to the affidavit, and was in critical condition initially after emergency surgery. No update is available today on his condition.

Karla Villalon is a key aide to Robert Spillar, the city’s transportation director, and has been heavily involved in the city’s urban rail initiative.