Haslet, TX — Emergency workers rushed an 11-year old girl to Cook Children’s Hospital in critical condition on Saturday, November 29, 2014. The accident took place in the 14200 block of Sendera Ranch Blvd. sometime that morning.
Police say that Laura Martin was the driver of a Ford SUV that was seen swerving on the road before the accident occurred. Reports say Martin hit another vehicle, was driving on the wrong side of the road and crashed into a school zone light and a tree before hitting the young girl. Martin went on to crash through a brick wall before finally coming to a stop in the backyard of a local resident.
The 11-year old Martin hit suffered critical injuries to her head and legs and was rushed to Cook. Another 11-year old involved in the accident was treated at the scene. Their names were not released.
Emergency workers took Martin to John Peter Smith Hospital. Her injuries are not life-threatening. Police are continuing to investigate.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
Police believe the woman driving the SUV was drunk at the time of the accident. It isn’t too much of a stretch to imagine that she was on her way home from a bar when the accident happened. If that’s the case, it’s possible that the bar could be held partially liable for the accident. Texas law forbids establishments that serve alcohol from serving patrons who are already drunk. It’s a law that’s often ignored, and largely misunderstood. Many think that the law’s only function is to help drunk drivers skirt responsibility following an accident. That’s not the case at all. The driver still made the decision to get behind the wheel, and should be responsible for that. However, if a bar is still serving someone who should have been cut off three or four drinks ago, and then that person goes out and gets into an accident, they should also be held responsible, because they’ve contributed to that accident in a very real way.
Exactly what happened here is still unclear. It’s possible the driver was at home drinking and that a bar played no roll in this at all. But if a bar was involved, they’ve got some pretty hard questions to answer. Remember, if every bar that was responsible for an accident like this was held responsible, eventually they’d fly straight and not make these mistakes.
— Grossman Law Offices
