Local reports indicate a 25-year-old Mansfield woman was driving the wrong way down I-30 eastbound in Dallas Texas when she struck an 18-wheeler head-on around 3:30 a.m. Friday August 5. The wreck caused the rig to jackknife and spill approximately 100 gallons of fuel. The woman had to be cut from her smashed vehicle. She was taken to Baylor Medical Center with serious injuries. The truck driver was uninjured.
Site of the Accident
Commentary
Those of you who read this blog may be asking yourself why I am even bothering to discuss this terrible wreck. Typically in a wrong-way driving accident the driver assumes a huge portion of liability. My experience tells me there may be more to this accident. Late at night and a driver going the wrong-way down a major highway in Dallas suggests intoxicants could be involved here. An independent investigation is needed to determine proximate cause of this accident. For instance I have litigated several cases involving drivers over-served by an acquaintance at a bar or restaurant. Of course I am guessing here but if we were to assume a scenario like this that could open the bar or establishment to a dram shop claim from the wrong-way driver. Texas has these laws in place to hold alcohol-serving places at least partially liable in the event that their over-serving causes an incident like this. Again these are all guesses but my experience tells me an after-hours wrong-way accident can involve many more parties than just the driver.
Texas Personal Injury Attorney Michael Grossman
