Austin, TX — There was a major two-car accident this past Tuesday night in NE Austin that killed two people, injured a 16-year old, and left one driver facing intoxication manslaughter and murder charges. Police identified the two victims in the accident only as a 44-year old Hispanic man and 5-year old Leyland Oliva.
Leyland’s father, 27-year old Marco Oliva-Quevedo, was charged by the Austin Police Department for intoxicated manslaughter after it was determined that he was under the influence of alcohol. Police said that Oliva-Quevedo ran a red light and crashed into a pickup truck on Tuesday evening, June 10, 2014.
Oliva-Quevedo was driving east along Parmer Lane in the Manor area of Austin when he ran a red light at Harris Branch Parkway. His car collided with a Ford F-150 pickup truck, causing it to roll over and eject the driver.
He was killed at the scene and police identified him only as a 44-year old Hispanic man. After the initial collision, Oliva-Quevedo’s vehicle skidded into a pole and injured himself, his 16-year old sister-in-law, and his 5-year old son, Leyland.
Paramedics took them to a hospital, where Leyland died. Police said that Marco Oliva-Quevedo tested positive for being intoxicated and he has since been charged. Allegedly, he told police that he had had more than 4 beers earlier that day.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary:
Let’s do the math here: After only 4 beers in 1 hour, a typical 180-lb man’s BAC would probably be over a 0.08%, according to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Not only is it concerning that someone would drink that much alcohol and get behind the wheel, but it’s disturbing to think that a lot of bartenders and servers have no problem with providing it to their customers. The news reports don’t say where this driver was drinking before the accident, but it’s possible it was at a restaurant or even a bar.
If that’s the case, then I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the bartender had poured him a few too many drinks and allowed him out the door. It happens all the time and people need to realize that is contributing to these kinds of accidents. What can you do in that situation? Well, the most effective thing to do is hold the bar responsible alongside with the driver who caused the wreck. After all, is it really fair for the driver to go to jail, but the bar just gets to continue with business as usual?
— Grossman Law Offices
