Waco, TX — A rollover accident in the northbound lanes of Interstate 35 in Waco, Texas, have left two people dead. Police have identified them as 51-year old Rita Munoz and 41-year old Lamont Franklin. The accident occurred near mile marker 338, around 2:30 on the morning of Monday, September 15, 2014.
Local officials say that the accident was caused when the Ford Ranger the two were driving in went off the interstate. The driver over-corrected, causing the vehicle to flip over, which ejected both Munoz and Franklin. A trooper from the Department of Public Safety says that neither victim was wearing their seat belt.
Officials pronounced both Munoz and Franklin dead at the scene. Police are still trying to determine what caused the vehicle to drive off the road in the first place.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
News reports have painted a more or less complete picture of how this accident occurred, but they haven’t said much at all on why it occurred. It’s always possible that it was just an accident, perhaps the driver looked away from the road for a split second and swerved. However, given the time of day, it’s worth asking if alcohol was involved. If the victims in the accident were drinking, where were they drinking? If it’s illegal to drink a lot of alcohol and get behind the wheel of a car, is it also illegal to sell a lot of alcohol to someone who’s about to get behind the wheel of a vehicle? The answer is yes, it is. The bottom line is that alcohol is a drug that affects a person’s ability to think clearly and to make rational decisions. Because of this, it’s illegal to serve alcohol to someone who’s already drunk. We don’t know if that was the case in this accident, but if it was, then whoever served the alcohol would be partially liable for the accident, because it occurred as a result of their negligent behavior. Again, we have no reason to believe this is what happened, but given the circumstances, it’s a possibility that should be considered.
— Grossman Law Offices
