Irving, TX — Early Friday morning, an officer with the Irving PD was injured and sent to a hospital after he was hit on Highway 114 by a suspected drunk driver. The police reports said that an Officer “Silva” was transported to a hospital with broken ribs and other injuries after a woman named Nicole Arreola (pictured) crashed into his patrol car with her vehicle.
This was along Highway 114 near North O’Connor at about 3:30 a.m. in the morning.
Arreola had been driving her car, a silver Jaguar, west along Highway 114 when she came upon a stopped Irving PD patrol car that was blocking traffic for a construction crew.
Arreola apparently failed to stop in time and crashed into the patrol car, injuring one officer inside. He was identified only as “Silva” in the report and was taken to a hospital for his injuries. Meanwhile, Arreola was charged with intoxication assault after she allegedly admitted to drinking and driving. Her BAC also tested at a .144%, nearly twice the legal limit.
Map of the Area
Commentary:
I’m glad to see that this officer will be okay, because there’s something particularly enraging about an accident that hurts one of our civil servants. These are men and women who literally put their lives on the line each day to protect us and here’s one who’s been injured by someone who couldn’t seem to figure out when she’d had too much to drink. But I started to wonder where this woman had been in the hours before the wreck, and I think it’s possible that her alcohol consumption may have been a little bit out of her control.
I’m talking about the possibility of this woman have been at a bar. Now, everyone knows that drinking a driving is a choice, as is getting drunk at a bar. However, I think we can all agree that the more alcohol you drink, the less responsible and discerning you become. It becomes increasingly difficult (if not impossible) to make good decisions when you’re intoxicated, and if this woman had gotten drunk at a bar, then she may not have had all her mental faculties when leaving in her car.
Here’s where the bar comes in: Texas has specific laws that prohibit bars (or any play with a license to serve alcohol) from serving drinks to customers who are obviously intoxicated and who pose a danger to themselves and others. I don’t know where this woman had been or how much she had to drink, but if a bartender was still pouring shots and she was obviously intoxicated, then the bar is being just as negligent as she is. And, from a legal perspective, it can (and should) be argued that the bar ought to be held liable for their part in the overall accident because of their contribution.
— Grossman Law Offices
