Sandy Le - another victim of drunk driving at the Music Festival in Austin, Texas

Sandy Le

Sandy Le, age 26, died on March 17, 2014, at a hospital in Austin, Texas. 

On March 13, 2014, she was attending the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin. 

At about 12:30 a.m., a vehicle broke through a festival barricade on Red River Street, and crashed into numerous people and vehicles.  Steven Craenmehr, of the Netherlands, age 35, and Jamie West, of Austin, age 27, were killed outright.

Twenty-three people were taken to hospital, including five who were critically injured and were raced to a nearby trauma center.

Rashad Owens, age 21, may face 3 counts of capital murder and 23 counts of aggravated assault with a vehicle.

Rashad Owens

The incident started when a police officer on a drunk-driving patrol tried to stop Rashad Owen's vehicle. He sped off and through the barricade on the street and into the innocent victims. The police state that he showed no regard for anyone in his attempt to escape. Austin police chased Rashad Owens on foot, and eventually used a stun gun on him before taking him into custody.

He has a previous conviction for drunk driving in Alaska and a conviction for criminal trespass in Texas.

Tests later revealed he had a blood alcohol content of .114, which is above the legal limit of .08.

He said that he sped away because he believed he had warrants out for his arrest related to a custody dispute over one of his children. It is reported that he has 6 children. 

Sandy was from Mississippi.  She had moved to Austin with the intention of going to school there.

Sandy's father is a Vietnam veteran who fought alongside the American troops in Vietnam, and then he met her mom in the states in the mid-1970's. The family became

Light a candle for Sandy.  Light her way
to Heaven.

shrimpers on the coast. 

The family lost their home during Hurricane Katrina and bounced back, only to be affected by the Gulf Oil Spill, which was a crippling blow to the shrimping industry.  Sandy's uncle, Hung Nguyen, disappeared from his dive boat in July of 2013, and was never found.

This family has suffered hugely and now again over the death of their beloved Sandy. 

Family members describe Sandy as upbeat, fun, full of life and carefree.  She had a giving spirit.  She was well-loved and will be forever missed. 

There is an online fund to help the Le family with Sandy Le’s medical bills and funeral arrangements at www.fundly.com/assistance-for-Sandy-Le.

Pray for all who die by misadventure. They are with us one moment and gone the next.

God save us from the drunk and doped up drivers. They are killing us, Father.

God save from the speeding drivers. They strike us down in the street and then run away like wolves.

Pray for justice for Sandy. 

Pray that Sandy Le is in heaven. Pray that she is at peace and is with God. Amen.