Texarkana, TX — Very early Monday morning (October 5, 2015), the Texarkana police reported that a young man was badly injured after he was hit by a car in a pedestrian accident. The man’s name is Timothy Norris, 26, and this accident happened along West 7th Street, near the intersection with Kilgore Avenue.
According to the news reports, Norris was walking along West 7th Street at about 4:15 a.m. Monday morning while a man named Anthony Smith was driving a GMC SUV west.
Norris tried to walk across the road from north to south near Kilgore, but was accidentally hit by Smith’s SUV, who said that he didn’t have time to slow down.
The police later said that they aren’t sure if any charges are going to be filed.
Map of the Accident
Commentary:
One of the things that jumped out at me when I read about this accident in the news was the early-morning hour at which it happened. I know that for many accidents I’ve handled in the past, that’s and indicator that alcohol was a factor. If this young man had been drinking earlier in the night (and I’m not implying he was, just wondering), then it’s possible that the place he had been drinking at would bear some liability for his injuries.
Alcohol is a drug that affects our ability to make good decisions, it affects our reaction times, and it impairs our judgement. Bars and other licensed providers are aware of this, that’s why they’re supposed to follow TABC regulations when they serve alcohol — and not provide any drinks to people who are obviously intoxicated or who present a danger to themselves/others. If a bar does over-serve someone and they later get into an accident and hurt themselves, both that person and the bar can be held liable. Obviously, this doesn’t take any responsibility away from the driver who caused the wreck by drinking and driving, but it allows the law to hold all the parties involved responsible for their part.
Again, though, I don’t know if alcohol was a factor here. If it was, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions until all the facts are in.
— Grossman Law Offices
