EDINBURG, TX — A hit-and-run accident left a cyclist dead in Edinburg, Texas on Saturday, March 29th, 2014, according to the news report from KRGV.
Police working close to the accident investigation have said that 75-year-old Israel Garza was killed when he was struck by a vehicle while he was riding his bicycle on Highway 281.
Scene of the Accident
Officials pronounced Israel Garza dead on the scene when they arrived. The driver of the offending vehicle was identified as Leolagario Villegas, who currently faces drunk driving related charges in connection with the fatal accident.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Whenever I see alcohol listed as a suspected factor in a fatal accident, I cant help but wonder where the alleged drunk driver was coming from. If they had come from a bar, there could have been a serious breach of dram shop laws, which people may not know even exist. Dram shop laws are a set of liquor liability rules that govern the safe and responsible sale of alcohol at establishments such as liquor stores, restaurants and nightclubs. If somebody who is clearly drunk, with bloodshot eyes, difficulty walking, and slurred speech walks into a liquor store and tries to buy a bottle, the establishment is required by law to deny them service. To do otherwise is over-service, which is far more common that you would believe. If a drunk driver found to have left a bar before a major accident and alcohol is found to be the cause, the establishment can be held liable for failing to serve alcohol responsibly.
–Grossman Law Offices
