EL PASO, TX — A chain-reaction car accident took the life of one motorist in El Paso, Texas on Sunday, April 20th, 2014, according to a news article from KFOX-TV.
Investigators have said that they believe 22-year-old Crystal Saldana was killed when the Mazda MX3 she was driving was struck by a Chrysler PT Crusier while driving on Zargoza Road around 2:23 in the morning on Sunday.
Scene of the Accident
Crystal Saldana was taken by EMS personnel to nearby Del Sol Medical Center where she died a short time after she arrived. The driver of the offending vehicle was identified in the report as 27-year-old Brian Gamero, who currently faces drunk driving related charges in connection with the crash.
Authorities from the Texas Department of Public Safety is currently assisting with the crash investigation.
Commentary:
The fact that alcohol was mentioned in the news, and the accident happened at or around local bars last-call (2:00 a.m. in Texas), I cannot help but wonder if a bar may have played a part in this accident. Many people I talk to are unaware of Texas’ groundbreaking liquor liability laws, and how they may help the victims of accidents like this one. Whenever a person sets out to open a bar or liquor store in the State of Texas, they make a promise to the state to serve alcohol in a safe and responsible manner.
What constitutes the safe sale of alcohol? Well, if a customer stumbles into a local bar with bloodshot eyes, alcoholic odor, or unsteady feet, that bar is forbidden from serving them with any alcohol, because to do so would potentially endanger the customer or the public. If that person is served despite their obvious intoxication, then leaves to cause an accident, that bar can and should be held liable for the accident right along with the driver. Just think of how many drunk driving accidents could be stopped if bars saw drunk drivers as a serious liability.
–Grossman Law Offices
