Houston, TX — Police have yet to release the name of the woman who died following an alleged DUI accident in Houston, Texas, on early on the morning of December 24. The accident took place in the 600 block of East Crosstimbers Street, around 6:15 in the morning.
Although the woman’s name has not been released, the man police believe was drunk whenever he crashed into her has been charged with two counts of intoxicated assault. He has been identified as Raul Saenz.
Police say Saenz was speeding when he crashed into a van while traveling west on Crosstimbers. The woman driving the van and two others were ejected from the vehicle. Emergency workers transported the woman to a local hospital, where she died on Christmas Day. The other two individuals sustained minor injuries.
The investigation into the accident is ongoing.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
The time and date at which this accident happened makes me wonder whether or not there’s a bar involved here. Drunk driving accidents typically happened very late at night or early in the morning, and the number of DUI accidents tends to go up over the holidays. If a bar was involved here, it’s possible that they could be held partially liable for the accident. Bars in Texas are forbidden from serving anyone who’s visibly intoxicated. The simple reason for this is that pushing someone over their limit increases the likelihood that they’re going to go out and get into an accident. If a bar is reckless in the way they serve their customers, they can be held responsible for that. Unfortunately, these laws are widely misunderstood, with many seeing them as a way for a driver to shirk responsibility following an accident. That’s not the point. Drivers should also be held accountable, no doubt. But as I see it, both are playing a role in the accident, and both should be held responsible.
— Grossman Law Offices
