Campus Alert Archive
UT Austin

Trapped Under the Bus: A CapMetro Driver's Negligence Kills Tony Diaz on San Jacinto Boulevard

TXpolice activitytimely warningmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

At approximately 10:33 PM CST on January 28, 2019, Anthony 'Tony' Diaz, 39, was struck and killed by a Capital Metro bus on San Jacinto Boulevard near 23rd Street on the University of Texas at Austin campus. Diaz, properly helmeted and equipped with required lights, was pinned under the bus and pronounced dead at the scene. The CapMetro driver, Mindi Taylor Stafford, was arrested in March 2019 on manslaughter charges after passengers and witnesses reported she had been behaving erratically; she later pled guilty to criminally negligent homicide and was sentenced to community supervision.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
1
Injured
0
Institution
University of Texas at Austin
Public R1 · TX
~51,000 studentsUT Alerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Approximate reconstruction534 chars
The University of Texas Police Department is investigating a fatal collision involving a cyclist and a Capital Metro bus on San Jacinto Boulevard near 23rd Street on campus. The incident occurred at approximately 10:33 p.m. The cyclist was pronounced deceased at the scene. San Jacinto Boulevard between MLK Boulevard and 24th Street is closed and is expected to remain closed while the investigation is ongoing. UT Police are on scene and Capital Metro has been notified. Further information will be provided as it becomes available.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

KXAN and KVUE reported that UT Police and Capital Metro were both notified immediately after the 10:33 PM CST crash; the road closure of San Jacinto Boulevard consistent with UTPD's standard fatal-crash investigation protocol
UTPD Chief David Carter later stated that 'Tony was doing everything possible to ride safely that night' -- he was wearing a reflective helmet and had the required white and red lights on his bicycle
Eight or nine passengers were on the CapMetro bus at the time of the crash; none were injured; the bus and cyclist were both traveling northbound on San Jacinto when the crash occurred
FOLLOW-UPWebsite
Approximate reconstruction480 chars
The University of Texas at Austin has been notified that Capital Metro bus driver Mindi Taylor Stafford has been arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with the January 28, 2019 fatal collision on San Jacinto Boulevard that claimed the life of cyclist Anthony Diaz. The university continues to work with UTPD, Capital Metro, and the city of Austin on transportation safety improvements in the campus corridor. We extend our continued sympathies to Mr. Diaz's family.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Stafford was arrested in Bell County in March 2019 and charged with manslaughter; witnesses and passengers on the bus said she was 'behaving strangely and talking to herself moments before the crash,' per a search warrant reported by CBS Austin
Stafford ultimately pled guilty to criminally negligent homicide -- a lesser charge than manslaughter -- and was sentenced to 7 years community supervision and 250 hours community service, per KXAN's 2021 sentencing report
Six months after the crash, FOX 7 Austin reported that no bike lanes had been added to San Jacinto Boulevard, raising questions about campus bicycle infrastructure safety
Context

Background

On the night of January 28, 2019, Anthony 'Tony' Diaz, a 39-year-old Austin resident, was riding his bicycle northbound on San Jacinto Boulevard near 23rd Street on the UT Austin campus when a Capital Metro bus traveling in the same direction struck him. Diaz was pinned under the bus and pronounced dead at the scene. He was wearing a reflective helmet and had the required front-white and rear-red lights on his bike. CapMetro driver Mindi Taylor Stafford, 41, was operating Route 5 at the time. Passengers and witnesses said Stafford was behaving erratically -- talking to herself -- immediately before the collision. UTPD Chief David Carter stated that Diaz had done everything correctly. Stafford was arrested in Bell County in March 2019 on a manslaughter charge after UTPD completed its investigation. She later pled guilty to the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide and was sentenced to seven years community supervision with 250 hours of community service. Six months after the crash, FOX 7 Austin reported that no bike lanes had been added to San Jacinto Boulevard, reflecting the broader tension between vehicle/bus infrastructure and cyclist safety on urban campuses. The San Jacinto/23rd Street corridor is a heavily trafficked UT boundary street that accommodates Capital Metro bus routes, UT Shuttle service, and large numbers of cyclists and pedestrians.
Analysis

Key Findings

Anthony 'Tony' Diaz, 39, killed at 10:33 PM CST on January 28, 2019, when a CapMetro bus pinned him on San Jacinto Boulevard at 23rd Street on the UT Austin campus while both were traveling northbound
Diaz was properly equipped with helmet and required lights; UTPD Chief Carter stated Diaz 'was doing everything possible to ride safely'; negligence lay entirely with the bus driver
Driver Mindi Taylor Stafford was arrested March 2019 on manslaughter; ultimately pled guilty to criminally negligent homicide and sentenced to 7 years community supervision and 250 hours community service
Six months after the crash, no bike lanes had been added to San Jacinto Boulevard -- illustrating the lag between campus-corridor fatalities and infrastructure safety reforms
All alert text is reconstructed (isVerbatimConfirmed: false); verbatim UT Alerts system notifications from January 28, 2019 were not recoverable
Outcome
Anthony 'Tony' Diaz, 39, killed. Driver Mindi Taylor Stafford arrested March 2019 and charged with manslaughter; later pled guilty to criminally negligent homicide and sentenced to 7 years community supervision and 250 hours community service. Six months after the crash, no bike lanes had been added to San Jacinto Boulevard.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Cyclist hit and killed by bus on UT campus identified - KXAN
    kxan.com
  2. News
    39-year-old, Anthony John Diaz, named as cyclist killed on UT campus by bus - KVUE
    kvue.com
  3. News
    Cap Metro bus driver that hit, killed cyclist near UT campus charged with manslaughter - CBS Austin
    cbsaustin.com
  4. News
    Former CapMetro driver sentenced for 2019 cyclist death on UT campus - KXAN
    kxan.com
  5. News
    6 months after cyclist death on UT campus, no bike lanes added to San Jac - FOX 7 Austin
    fox7austin.com
Tags
transportationcyclist-fatalitybus-collisiontransittexascapmetrocampus-corridormanslaughterbike-safetyinfrastructuretimely-warning
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion