HARRIS COUNTY, TX — A two-vehicle accident involving an alleged drunk driver left one child dead in Harris County, Texas on Saturday, July 19th, 2014, according to the news report from The Houston Chronicle.
Police say that they have reason to believe that an as-of-yet unidentified 9-year-old child was killed when the vehicle in which she was a passenger was struck by a vehicle that is believed to have run the stop light while driving through the intersection of Cypresswood and Sciaaca on Saturday night.
Scene of the Accident
Investigators say that the unidentified girl was taken by EMS personnel to a nearby hospital, but died en route. The driver of the offending pickup truck was arrested, and currently faces charges of intoxication manslaughter in connection with the accident.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is currently handling the crash investigation.
Commentary:
In this situation, we need to take a hard look at the offending driver’s location before the accident, because there could be a great deal of liability with a bar if they are found to have just left one before the accident. There is a great deal of difference between consuming alcohol at home, and consuming alcohol at a licensed establishment. In order to drink in your own private residence, you need no license. But in order to drink at a bar, that bar must be licensed by the state, and in order to obtain a liquor license, the business must promise to serve within regulation. If the offending driver was over-served, there could be a liability claim against the bar. Only when bars and nightclubs are held liable for drunk driving accidnets will these places start to see drunk drivers as a liability. Period.
–Grossman Law Offices
