Friends and family members are saddened by the death of a passenger who was killed in a wreck this past weekend involving an intoxicated driver. And the driver is facing felony charges.
Not many details have yet been released. But, it appears that, shortly before dawn on Sunday morning, the driver of a Nissan Sentra was headed westbound in the 5200 block of Westheimer. The gray vehicle apparently drove out of its lane, leading to the crash. As a result, a 45-year-old back-seat passenger was killed. The driver, a woman, provided a blood sample, after which she was charged with intoxicated manslaughter.
Monitoring collisions triggered by driving while intoxicated reveals that they can cause the deaths of the drivers, those in other vehicles, and, as we see here, passengers in the driver’s own vehicle. Thus, the driver not only faces second-degree felony charges; now, she must also cope with the death of a friend. Perhaps some motor vehicle mishaps cannot be avoided. But certainly this kind of fatality is preventable. Everyone knows by now that impaired driving poses unacceptable risks on drivers, their guests, and other users of the roadways. So, those who wish to drink must take precautions, as simple as having a designated driver or calling a taxi or Uber for a ride. There is just no excuse any longer for such senseless loss of life. We can only hope that the criminal and civil justice systems will deal with this tragedy appropriately, and that others will learn from it and avoid a similar crash.
If you or someone you know has been injured in an auto accident with a drunk driver, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or toll free at 713-222-7211.