Second DWI Accident For Houston Woman Comes Only 3 Years After Fatal Accident Killed Her Daughter

One Harris County woman has found herself in trouble once again after colliding with a parked car. It is the second time she has been involved in a drunk driving accident; fortunately, this time no one was injured. The first accident, three years ago, resulted in the death of an innocent child.

On August 16, 2008, around one in the morning, a maroon Ford Explorer was seen weaving in and out of traffic at high speeds on Will Clayton Parkway in Houston. Moments later, the out-of-control SUV rocketed off the side of the road and hit a tree, straight on. The passenger in the front seat of the SUV was rushed to the hospital, where she died shortly afterward. She was four years old.

Law enforcement officials later determined that the four-year-old girl had not been in a child safety seat at the time of the crash. They believed that she had been wearing the lap portion of the adult safety belt.

The driver of the SUV was also transported to the hospital to be treated for her injuries. Police discovered that the 22-year-old woman had a blood-alcohol content (BAC) level of .24, which is three times the legal limit in Texas. The four-year-old passenger was her daughter.

The 22 year old pleaded guilty to intoxicated manslaughter. She was sentenced to 10 years of probation. The terms of her probation required that she did not drink alcohol.

Her suspended license was reinstated about a month ago. This past Wednesday night she was arrested for drunk driving once again after he backed her car into a parked car. Given her previous fatal accident and current probation status, she has been charged with felony DWI and is currently being held without bail.

Source: Houston Chronicle, “Mom convicted in DWI killing girl faces more alcohol charges,” 10/7/11.