Choose safer habits this holiday season and start the new year with no regrets.
Everybody knows that driving drunk is dangerous, illegal, and just plain stupid. Yet, especially in San Antonio, drunk driving is still a major problem affecting even our government officials.
Here at Carabin Shaw, we are concerned about making Texas roads safer and our state an even better place to live. Kxan reports that in Austin, “On average, more than 11 people have died each day in traffic-related accidents on Texas roadways in 2021, state transportation leaders said Thursday. Each of these deaths has contributed to the state’s nearly 21-year streak of at least one traffic death per day.”
Bob Kaufman, the Texas Department of Transportation chief communications officer, stated. “We have a real crisis in our state,”
On Thursday, in a conference, the Texas Department of Transportation officials (DOT) broke down avoidable components that have given rise to more than two decades worth of traffic fatalities. The Texas Department of Transportation official, Michael Chacon, stated on Thursday that there were 3,556 fatalities statewide in 2021. In 2020, 3,896 individuals lost their lives in fatal traffic accidents in Texas. The total deaths figure was the highest it’s been in almost 30 years.
Texas car accidents range in severity, and individuals may exhibit significant differences in their responses to these potentially traumatic events. The magnitude of an accident may not become evident until some time after the incident; thus, Texas accident victims must take steps to address their injuries and preserve their recovery rights. Although it is unreasonable to expect motorists to fully prepare for another driver’s negligence, there are specific preparations motorists can take in the event of these unanticipated situations.
Motorists should ensure that their cars are in proper working order and keep their insurance and registration information easily accessible in their vehicles. Although many people do not find the need for pens and paper as they once did, it is advisable to keep these supplies handy to jot down and exchange information quickly.
After an accident, adrenaline and emotions are often running high, and the full extent of damages and injuries may not be readily apparent. Those involved in a Texas accident should err on the side of receiving medical treatment after an accident. While immediate transportation to a hospital may not be necessary, accident victims should consult with their primary physician or urgent care after an accident. Drivers should also check on their passengers and other people involved in the incident.
Although this past holiday season has looked a little different from previous ones because of the pandemic, Texas roads remain busy as families continue to take road trips, commute around town for necessities and daily errands, and travel. Even though COVID-19 may have kept many at home this holiday season, Texas drunk driving accidents still continue to claim too many lives.
According to a recent news report, a local mom lost her husband and two children after a tragic car accident. The two children and husband were driving along when the driver of a Ford F250 crashed into them. Although the driver of the Ford F250 survived, the local mom lost her entire family in the crash. So far, no charges have been filed against the truck driver. However, the mom retained attorneys who have filed a wrongful death lawsuit because the Ford F250 driver was allegedly intoxicated when the accident took place. The investigation remains active, and officials are still assessing potential charges. While charges are pending, the local mom and her attorneys are hopeful that criminal charges against the at-fault driver will be filed.
The legal system can often be challenging and confusing to navigate when it comes to certain claims. Unfortunately, when criminal charges are officially filed against an individual, it does not mean that they will automatically be responsible for paying damages to the party who suffered harm. Because criminal law and the criminal justice system were not designed to protect victims or survivors individually, but rather to protect society as a whole, damages are not typically awarded to specific people who have been harmed through the criminal system.
July 29, 2020: BEAUMONT, Texas — A 21-year-old Beaumont woman has been charged after police say the car she was driving struck two adults and a child in a west end Beaumont neighborhood Wednesday evening.
Kenlie Davis, 21, of Beaumont, was arrested near the scene and later charged with three counts each of intoxication assault and failure to stop and render aid according to a Thursday news release from the Beaumont Police Department.
When officers arrived on the scene on Oak Trace Drive, they found the three victims in the street suffering from multiple injuries and the vehicle unoccupied in the grass nearby according to the release.
PASADENA, Texas (Jan 3, 2020)– A Motorcycle Crash in Pasadena kills one man and lands another in custody. Police said the crash happened around 3:40 a.m. on Genoa Red Bluff Road between Space Center Boulevard and Red Bluff Road. A speeding motorcyclist heading westbound on Genoa Red Bluff T-boned the passenger side of a small, four-door sedan. The impact caused the sedan and motorcycle to spin and catch on fire. The motorcyclist was thrown from his bike and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the car — 30-year-old Stephen Dario Rodriguez — was transported to a hospital and is expected to survive.
Investigators determined Rodriguez had been driving under the influence and was charged with his third DWI. The victim of the crash has been identified as 24-year-old James Hubbs. The incident is still under investigation.
In Texas, drunk driving is taken seriously by lawmakers, police, and prosecutors. Yet, despite the decades-long efforts of government agencies and non-profit organizations, drunk driving is still a major problem in Texas. Indeed, each year there are approximately 17,000 Texas DUI accidents, claiming the lives of nearly 1,000 Texans annually.
While a Texas drunk driver is subject to criminal penalties, they can also be held accountable for their actions through a Texas personal injury lawsuit. To establish that a drunk driver is responsible for an accident victim’s injuries, the accident victim must be able to prove the four elements of a Texas negligence lawsuit: duty, breach, causation, and damages.
Typically, in a lawsuit arising from a Texas drunk driving accident, the elements of duty and breach are often established through the doctrine of negligence per se. Negligence per se is, in essence, a shortcut that lawmakers allow certain accident victims to take when developing their claim. When the elements of negligence per se are met, the defendant is found to have been legally negligent. This satisfies both the duty and breach elements of a negligence claim.
Drunk driving is a serious concern throughout the country, but the issue is even more concerning in Texas. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 13,138 people were killed in crashes involving a drunk driver in Texas from 2003 to 2012. The rate of drunk driving deaths was higher in Texas than the national average across all age groups, according to data from 2012. In addition, the percentage of adults who reported driving after drinking too much was higher in Texas than nationally.The CDC recommends that states have harsh drunk driving laws, including zero-tolerance laws, sobriety checkpoints, and ignition-interlock devices installed on cars for all offenders, as well as mass-media campaigns and school-based instructional programs, among other strategies.
Texas DUI Law
All states have drunk driving laws in place to protect the public from drunk drivers. In Texas, the state’s blood-alcohol limit is 0.08% for individuals 21 and older, and 0.04% for commercial drivers. Additionally, there is a zero-tolerance law in effect for individuals younger than 21 years old. Being involved in a DUI accident can have devastating consequences, and individuals who are injured in a Texas drunk driving accident may pursue a claim against the drunk driver to recover compensation for their injuries.
Back in July of this year, three teenagers were involved in a serious Texas car accident after the driver lost control of the vehicle. After losing control of the Nissan Altima, the car veered off the road and into the median, where it slammed head-on into trees that cut the vehicle in half. While the driver survived with relatively minor injuries, both passengers died from the injuries they sustained in the accident.While investigating the fatal accident, police believed the driver to have been under the influence of alcohol. That was confirmed, and the teenage driver was arrested and charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter. According to a recent news report, authorities have subsequently arrested a 29-year-old gas-station clerk who they believe may have sold the teenage driver fortified wine on the day of the fatal accident. The clerk denies he sold the minor alcohol, claiming that he always checks customers’ identification prior to selling them alcohol.
Dram Shop and Social Host Liability
While the driver involved in this tragic accident may have obtained alcohol from a gas station, more often than not under-age drinkers get alcohol from a friend’s parents or from a bar or restaurant. In some cases, the bartender may be a friend or acquaintance who serves the minor, knowing they are under-age.
In Dao v. Garcia Ex. Rel. Salinas, a man borrowed the defendant’s car to pick up his friend at a restaurant. The defendant and the man were former roommates, friends, and business associates. On the day that the man borrowed the defendant’s car, she’d had dinner with the man and fallen asleep at his apartment. While she was sleeping, he took her keys and drove her car to get his friend at the restaurant. While at the restaurant, he drank part of a glass of wine, one of several he’d consumed that day.
As the man and the friend left the restaurant in the car, they started to go the wrong way on a one-way street. The man then tried to drive across the street to go into a driveway. At that point, Rojelio Salinas came down the street in his moped, and the defendant crashed into him. Salinas died from his injuries. His estate sued the man, the defendant, the restaurant, and another party for negligence.
Included in the causes of action was a claim against the defendant for negligent entrustment. The jury found that the defendant, the man, and the restaurant were negligent, awarding $737,000 in damages. The jury apportioned damages with 10% to the defendant, 5% to the restaurant, and 85% to the man. The court ordered that the defendant and the man were jointly and severally liable for $700,150. The defendant filed a motion for new trial, which was denied on the grounds that it was against the operation of law.
Texas Injury Lawyers Blog