Fredericksburg
Honoring Lucia Rodriguez
RECEIVED Mon., Aug. 17, 2009
Dear Editor,
Lucia Rodriguez, a true daughter of Austin, deserved at least a lifetime to blaze as a brilliant star. Instead, she is dead at the age of 33.
A young woman of significant talent, Lucia exemplified achievement and embodied grace. She was gifted, caring, and gave positive energy to a world in great need of such good.
Her death by accidental drowning should be declared a death due to negligence. For the lack of mere safety precautions on Quinlan Park Road – precautions that could have prevented her car from driving into Lake Austin – Lucia Rodriguez is dead. Her loss is beyond tragic because it could and should have been prevented.
It is easy to see how Lucia, after she took a wrong turn onto Quinlan Park Road, ended up in the water. She was tooling along the road, trusting it would take her to RR 620, but instead the road took her to her grave.
The combination of grief and fury at such a senseless, needless, and untimely death is enough to make anyone sick. Less than two months before her car landed in that watery grave, another car had accidentally driven into the water as well. According to Bob Robuck of News 8 Austin, who interviewed local residents, it’s happened there many times before.
The day after Robuck’s piece aired, Travis County crews were out there repainting a much faded double-yellow line so that it veered off instead of leading directly into the water. They also installed narrow reflective posts to steer traffic away from the boat ramp. I happened to arrive on the scene just as the road crew was finishing its work on Thursday afternoon (Aug. 13). Finally getting around to rectifying a dangerous situation is not enough.
In a state that would be the 10th largest economy in the world if it was a nation, there is no reason why Travis County can’t summon the resources to honor the life of Lucia Rodriguez with the dignity and worth she so deserves. After all, she lost her life – and we have been denied the promise of her talent's future expression – all because of negligence of duty!
For starters, Travis County officials could begin talks with her dance mentors and colleagues about setting up – in Lucia’s name – an endowed scholarship or chair in dance studies at the University of Texas. That action, that effort of goodwill, just might begin to honor her life. Setting up reflective poles too late? Not so much.
Lucia Rodriguez, a true daughter of Austin, deserved at least a lifetime to blaze as a brilliant star. Instead, she is dead at the age of 33.
A young woman of significant talent, Lucia exemplified achievement and embodied grace. She was gifted, caring, and gave positive energy to a world in great need of such good.
Her death by accidental drowning should be declared a death due to negligence. For the lack of mere safety precautions on Quinlan Park Road – precautions that could have prevented her car from driving into Lake Austin – Lucia Rodriguez is dead. Her loss is beyond tragic because it could and should have been prevented.
It is easy to see how Lucia, after she took a wrong turn onto Quinlan Park Road, ended up in the water. She was tooling along the road, trusting it would take her to RR 620, but instead the road took her to her grave.
The combination of grief and fury at such a senseless, needless, and untimely death is enough to make anyone sick. Less than two months before her car landed in that watery grave, another car had accidentally driven into the water as well. According to Bob Robuck of News 8 Austin, who interviewed local residents, it’s happened there many times before.
The day after Robuck’s piece aired, Travis County crews were out there repainting a much faded double-yellow line so that it veered off instead of leading directly into the water. They also installed narrow reflective posts to steer traffic away from the boat ramp. I happened to arrive on the scene just as the road crew was finishing its work on Thursday afternoon (Aug. 13). Finally getting around to rectifying a dangerous situation is not enough.
In a state that would be the 10th largest economy in the world if it was a nation, there is no reason why Travis County can’t summon the resources to honor the life of Lucia Rodriguez with the dignity and worth she so deserves. After all, she lost her life – and we have been denied the promise of her talent's future expression – all because of negligence of duty!
For starters, Travis County officials could begin talks with her dance mentors and colleagues about setting up – in Lucia’s name – an endowed scholarship or chair in dance studies at the University of Texas. That action, that effort of goodwill, just might begin to honor her life. Setting up reflective poles too late? Not so much.
Pamela Sears
