Lisa Torry Smith was an entrepreneur and mother of two with a great joy for life, sense of fun and adventure and a caring, steadfast friend to all. On October 19th, 2017 Lisa’s life was taken by a reckless driver in Sienna/Missouri City, Texas in a crosswalk, in a school zone, while crossing her 6 year old son to Jan Schiff Elementary School. Jan Schiff Elementary School is named after a local community leader who also died while crossing the street in Missouri City, Texas. At the time of Lisa’s death, it was not a crime in Texas to kill or injure a pedestrian in a crosswalk. The woman who killed Lisa Torry Smith was eventually cited for “failure to yield to a pedestrian” and given a small fine. Advocacy led by Lisa’s sister Gina Torry, in collaboration with Lisa’s family, friends and Fort Bend County leaders – led to the passing of the Lisa Torry Smith Act in 2021 making it a crime in Texas to kill or injure a pedestrian or other vulnerable road user in a crosswalk.
Lisa’s spirt and super-heroine powers live on through the law that will save the lives of others in Texas.