Cape Coral, FL — A man named Ron Gravel, 60, died from his injuries after he and another woman were hit by a driver who accidentally crashed his pickup truck through the front of a pool hall in Cape Coral: Diamond Billiards. Police said that Ron Gravel and Tracy Booker, 52, were both taken to a hospital after the Monday accident (July 20, 2015), where he later died.
According to the news reports, 75-year old William Gulliver had been at Diamond Billiards (which is also a bar) that evening around 5:00 p.m. when he got into his truck in the parking lot and drove straight into the front of the building.
Alcohol is being investigated as a possible factor here, though the owners of Diamond Billiards claim that though Gulliver had just been in their bar, he had only had two beers to drink. However, the police said that Gulliver’s BAC was more than 5x over the legal limit at .402% — which is very intoxicated.
Charges may be filed later. Police noted that a BAC of .40% can cause death.
Update: A third victim was later identified, 58-year old Linda Girard.
Map of Diamonds Billiards
Commentary:
This accident made news headlines a few days ago and I remember being incredulous when I read that the bar’s owners tried to claim they only gave that man two beers. Maybe they really did, maybe they didn’t, but either way, he was exceptionally intoxicated when he walked out the front door — and that’s where I have a major problem.
Bars are supposed to be held to a certain standard and serve alcohol in a responsible way. Whether this bar provided WAY too much alcohol to this driver or they decided to give a few beers to him while he was already completely inebriated, it doesn’t matter. The bottom line is that it sure looks like they were completely negligent here and, in many ways, are partially responsible for the fatality and injuries that occurred in the ensuing accident.
If the police aren’t already investigating this bar, they need to start now because I have a feeling they’re going to be facing some major charges in the weeks to come. If they really did serve someone until they had a BAC of .42%, heck, they should probably just be shut down for good.
— Grossman Law Offices
