Port Arthur, TX — A woman was sent to the hospital in Port Arthur this past weekend after she was critically hurt by a suspected drunk driving accident. Her name wasn’t given, but police said this happened at about 2:45 a.m. on Sunday morning, April 12, 2015.
They claimed that a man was driving a pickup truck along 7th Street that morning with a woman riding in the truck bed. As the truck was driving through a residential area, the man behind the wheel lost control and crashed into a front yard and hit a parked car & a fence.
The woman in the truck bed was flung out and critically injured, they said. Paramedics had to call for help to have her rushed to Christus St. Elizabeth.
The driver of the truck was believed to have been under the influence and was taken into custody for intoxication assault.
Map of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary:
The reports mentioned that alcohol was probably a factor here and I know there are some bars around that area of town. So then, is it possible that the driver here might’ve come from one of the bars? If he had, then that bar should be investigated by the TABC for potential violations. In Texas, it’s not only illegal to drink and drive, it’s illegal for a bar to sell alcohol to anyone who’s already intoxicated. In fact, it’s illegal for liquor stores, restaurants, and sporting arenas to sell to intoxicated people as well. If they do, they can face criminal charges and be named in a suit for the damage done in the accident.
The issue is that when you start drinking, you start losing control of your ability to make good decisions. Bars know this, but they have no problem getting some “liquored up” and then leaving them for the other drivers on the road to worry about.
In reality, both parties (the bar and drunk driver) are doing something wrong, but the news usually just reports about the driver who gets arrested. They almost never mention what bar they were at (if they were at one at all) and whether the TABC is investigating them.
I don’t know if this driver had been at a bar, the news doesn’t really tell us that. But, I do know that Texas leads the nation each year in drunk driving accidents and if we’re going to put a dent in it, it’s time to start holding everybody accountable, not just the person arrested.
— Grossman Law Offices
