Child Killed by Driver Suspected of Intoxication

Family members are painfully mourning the death of an 8-year-old boy. He was riding on his bike yesterday when he was struck by a pickup truck that was traveling at a high rate of speed. Law enforcement officers detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage on the driver, and he was arrested at the scene.

The tragedy occurred at approximately 8:10 p.m. in a neighborhood near the 8100 block of Lenore, in southeast Houston. The maroon Chevrolet pickup truck, traveling westbound on Lenore, was driven by a 58-year-old man. He hit the child while going so fast that it knocked him a distance off of his bike. First responders rushed the boy to Memorial Hermann Hospital, but there doctors could not save his life.

When police arrived, the driver was sitting inside his truck. Police officers reported that the man failed a battery of field sobriety tests. Blood was drawn from him and submitted to a lab for analysis of his blood alcohol concentration.

The man charged with this horrible crime should be afforded all rights under state and federal law. If it is then determined that he committed an intoxication manslaughter, the jury or judge must by their punishment of him send a serious message to him, and to all of those in our community, that the senseless and dangerous act of driving while intoxicated will not be tolerated. By imposing the strongest punishment consistent with justice, the warning will be issued to all who are contemplating the idea of “going out drinking” they better arrange for safe transport after they have consumed alcohol. The grief this family is undergoing for the young life that has been wrongfully taken is completely avoidable: people need to stop drinking and driving. If any good can come from this terrible event it will be if those who drink in Houston will think twice about getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. Perhaps then needless deaths and injuries will be prevented.

If you or someone you know have been injured or killed due a drunk driver, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or 713-222-7211.