The City of Austin is set to pay a $200,000 settlement to two women whose mother was killed in a collision with an Austin Police Department (APD) officer last summer. As reported by KVUE, the Austin City Council approved the settlement Thursday for Ana and Breana Casillas, marking an end to an almost year-long quest for closure following their mother's untimely demise.
The tragic incident took the life of 43-year-old Maria Casillas-Reyes, who had stopped on U.S. Hwy 183 after getting a flat tire when she was struck by APD officer Alyssa Pruess. According to the KVUE interview in December, the sisters' attorney raised concerns over a discrepancy in the crash report which failed to note that Pruess was responding to a call at that time, setting off a "red flag" for the family.
In search of answers and confronted with what they described as a lack of transparency from the APD, the Casillas sisters filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Austin and the APD, initially asking for $1 million. Their mother, described in a KXAN report as "joyful," "friendly," and "very humble," left behind a family seeking to comprehend the full circumstances surrounding her loss.
Though the officer involved, Pruess was reportedly injured in a crash and subsequently hospitalized, she has since returned to active duty. APD's internal investigation into any policy violations is still underway, while the Special Investigations Unit concluded there were no criminal findings about the incident. As of this report, the city has not received the lawsuit, and Officer Pruess remains on administrative duty. "We were just told they’re still investigating it," attorney Angela Tabares told KXAN, conveying the ongoing frustration felt by the family in the face of opaque official proceedings.
The settlement, although financial, provides a modicum of acknowledgment for the daughters of Maria Casillas-Reyes, whose life was abruptly and tragically cut short. Ana and Breana Casillas, as quoted in a December interview by KVUE, have endured "constant pain" since the incident, and while the settlement cannot reverse the events that unfolded on U.S. Hwy 183, it closes one chapter in a long and harrowing ordeal for the Casillas family.
