Houston, TX — A man in a silver/tan pickup truck was injured this past Sunday morning (March 8, 2015) after a serious accident. Authorities didn’t release any names, but said that the man in the truck was seriously injured after his pickup lost control around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday.
According to the news reports, the pickup truck was headed along Kempwood at Hollister this past Sunday morning and may have been speeding when the driver lost control and swerved off the road. The truck hit a tree nearby and came to a stop, seriously injuring the driver and trapping him inside the cab.
After paramedics showed up to remove the man, he was taken to a hospital. Allegedly, alcohol might’ve been a factor, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
At the last update, the man was in stable condition, but still had serious injuries. He was the only person in his truck at the time.
Map of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary:
If you know anything about how Dram Shop law works in Texas, you know that the law holds bars to a certain standard and punishes them if they don’t follow the TABC’s rules when it comes to serving alcohol to customers. Our lawmakers have made it very clear that bars incur both criminal and civil liability when they break the rules and unlawfully serve their customers alcohol. Specifically, bars and other places with licenses to serve alcohol aren’t allowed to serve anyone who’s already at or past the point of obvious intoxication. The bar can not only be fined and cited, but they may also be accountable for some of the damage done if their customers go out and get into an accident.
Now, I don’t say all this to try and take the focus off of drunk drivers. In no way do I condone drunk driving and any consequences for doing so are just and fair. No, this is about widening our scope to see everyone who contributes to alcohol-related accidents, not just the drivers who make the news. the fact of the matter is that bars often serve people far beyond what is safe and are perfectly content to let them drive away while intoxicated — so long as the bar has made some money off of them. But when someone gets into an accident, shouldn’t be bar have to answer for their negligence, too? After all, we wouldn’t allow a gun range to claim “sanctuary” if they handed a gun to kid, they’d be held fully responsible.
I don’t know whether alcohol was a factor here, but given the early-morning hour, it seems very possible. Does anybody else have any more information about what happened? I’d also be curious to hear what my readers think about what I’ve said here. The topic of liquor liability law is always being debated and is largely considered a hot-button issue.
— Grossman Law Offices
