Lubbock, TX — There was an alleged alcohol-related car accident that happened in Lubbock this past Thursday morning, Thanksgiving day, November 27. Police said that Ruben Vega-Hernandez, 22, was critically injured along with Estaban Ocho, 25, after their car was in a wreck along I-27.
It happened at about 1:15 a.m. that Thursday morning, police said, on the south side of Lubbock — south of Loop 289. Ochoa was driving a Chevrolet Camaro north along I-27 with Vega-Hernandez as a passenger that morning when he rear-ended a Nissan SUV near 82nd Street.
The impact caused both drivers to lose control and it appears that the Chevy Camaro overturned and landed upside-down. Ochoa, the driver of the Camaro, was ejected and Vega-Hernandez was partially ejected.
They were both taken to a hospital with critical injuries while the driver of the Nissan, Kristy Staggs, 41, suffered minor injuries. Police said that alcohol was allegedly a factor in the accident, but aren’t sure what happened in the hours leading up to the accident.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary:
I won’t presume to know any extra information than what’s already been reported. However, I’d like to point out that alcohol-related accidents usually bring up some issues that are merely symptoms of larger problems. I’m talking about accidents where the driver at fault had been drinking at a bar and then left intoxicated, getting into a wreck.
I think we can all agree that someone who drinks and drives should have to face the consequences for their actions, no argument here. But what about places that serve the alcohol, like bars? Are they allowed to just serve as much alcohol as they like and let the other drivers on the road worry about the dangers of having an intoxicated person behind the wheel? This is the “larger problem” I was talking about earlier.
When a bar over-serves their customers, they’re creating a dangerous situation for everyone else on the road and it’s not right or fair that they should face no punishment. After all, they’ve contributed to an accident to some degree. And by the way, folks, this isn’t just one lawyer’s opinion about things — it’s the law. That’s right, Texas law specifically says that bars and other licensed providers of alcohol cannot sell, furnish, or otherwise provide alcohol to anyone who is obviously intoxicated, under threat of criminal and civil punishment.
A lot of people see an accident like this and immediately shake their heads at the alleged drunk driver. While I don’t condone this man’s actions (if he was under the influence), I have to say that if a bar was involved (and I’m not saying it was), then the accident wasn’t entirely his fault.
— Grossman Law Offices
