Brockton, MA — There was a serious accident reported in the Brockton area in late July that left a young man facing charges for possible drunk driving and another young man in the hospital. Police said that 22-year old Anthony Hodges was badly injured after he was ejected from 21-year old Carl Brown’s car in an accident in the early morning hours of Tuesday, July 28, 2015.
The Brockton PD reported that Carl Brown had been driving his white sedan along Crescent Street that morning when he apparently lost control while trying to pass another car. This was near the intersection with Summer Street.
His white car skidded off the roadway and slammed into a utility pole, where it flipped onto the driver’s side.
The accident ejected both Anthony Hodges (his passenger) and Brown, leaving them both with very serious injuries. Paramedics took them to local hospitals to be treated, but Hodges was said to be in life-threatening condition.
As of early August, Brown was supposed to be facing DUI charges and court dates.
He was celebrating his 21st birthday that night, the police said.
Map of the Accident
View from the Road
Commentary:
In Massachusetts, like in many other states, it’s unlawful for bars and other licensed establishments to serve alcohol to patrons who are obviously intoxicated. This also applies for underage customers.
In this accident, it appears that a young man was celebrating his 21st birthday. If Hollywood has taught us anything 21st birthdays, it’s that they are fraught with trips to bars and ordering lots of drinks. In a movie, I suppose that’s entertaining enough, but in real life, it’s downright dangerous and negligent for a bartender to ever serve that much alcohol to one person.
The danger is self-evident: that driver might go out and get into an accident, hurting themselves or others due to their intoxicated state. The fact of the matter is that if these young men were at a bar before getting into this wreck, then the bar might bear some liability for the injuries here. After all, if they over-served someone who gets into an accident, the law says that they are just as much at fault as the driver because both broke the law.
— Grossman Law Offices