Austin, TX — Two people were injured when an intoxicated driver drove his vehicle into their house in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, February 24, 2015. The accident took place in the 3400 block of Thomas Kincheon Street, around 2:00 in the morning.
The man responsible for the accident was identified as 26-year old Thomas Daniels. According to local officials, Daniels drove his car into the house, injuring a teenager and his grandfather.
Following the collision, Daniels got out of car and fled the scene on foot. Police found him a short time later in a nearby wooded area. Police officers said they could smell alcohol, and that his eyes were bloodshot and that he was disoriented.
Daniels told authorities that he had also used cocaine. Officials would eventually have to sedate him because he refused to cooperate, and continued to yell and curse.
The accident is still being investigated. News sources say that Daniels was convicted of DUI in May of 2009.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
Any time I see an accident like this, I wonder if a bar was involved. Most drunk drivers get into accidents on their way home from a bar, and around the time this accident happened, too. The reason this is important is because Texas law forbids bars from serving alcohol to those who are obviously intoxicated. I don’t know about you, but reports made it seem as if this guy was pretty obviously intoxicated. The reasoning behind a law like this should be pretty obvious. The more alcohol one consumes, the more likely they are to get into an accident. If this is something a bar chooses to ignore, and the customer they over-serve gets into an accident, they can be held liable for it, because they’re actively playing a role in that accident. Whether or not this actually comes into play here is something that will hopefully come out in the ensuing investigation.
— Grossman Law Offices
