JONESVILLE, LA — One person was killed in a crash in Jonesville, Louisiana on Friday, December 20th, 2013, according to the report released by Avoyelles Today.
Officials now believe 14-year-old Andrew Mendez was killed when the vehicle he was a passenger in a vehicle that crashed while driving on Diversion Canal Levee Road around 4:00 in the morning Friday evening. All occupants in the car were ejected. An initial report indicated Mendez was the driver, but this was discredited by authorities.
Scene of the Accident
Andrew Mendez was killed in the crash. The driver of the vehicle was later identified in the news report as Cody Reed, who currently faces drunk driving related charges in connection with the crash investigation.
Once the investigation is complete, officials expect to release more information.
Commentary:
These are the kind of accidents that remind us why liquor liability laws exist in the first place. For those who are unfamiliar with liquor liability laws, or ‘dram shop laws’, these are a set of regulations authored and set forth by state lawmakers that ensure businesses like bars, nightclubs, and beer/liquor stores sell and serve alcohol in a safe fashion. What constitutes the safe sale of alcohol? If anybody is served alcohol when they are stumbling and slurring their words, this is considered the ‘negligent provision of alcohol’. Many people believe this is the wrong way to go about things, but when somebody decides to become intoxicated at their home, they shoulder the responsibility of drinking responsibly. When one elects to drink at a bar, bartenders and servers then are included in the alcohol cutoff feedback loop, where somebody has both the ability and the duty to make sure you don’t become drunk enough to endanger yourself or the public at large.
–Grossman Law Offices
