Law enforcement authorities suspect that driving while intoxicated caused two recent crashes, one of which was fatal.
At about 9:00 p.m. on a Friday night in mid-October, a motorist ran out of gas. As his wife, along with their children, brought him fuel on the feeder road of I-10 near Barker Cypress, a driver operating a pickup truck smashed into them. The motorist was severely injured and rushed to the hospital, where he died; his wife was also transported to the hospital. Because the pickup truck driver who caused the wreck failed the field sobriety tests administered by the police, he was arrested. That driver now faces charges of intoxication manslaughter.
The same weekend, another driver who was allegedly intoxicated caused a wreck on the Southwest Freeway. The incident occurred at about 4:50 a.m. as police were clearing the scene of an earlier accident on I-69 near Hillcroft. A man driving a pickup truck smashed into two police cars, and injured one officer. Fortunately, the officer received only minor injuries. The pickup truck driver was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated.
These events remind us of the unacceptable danger imposed by intoxicated drivers on motorists, law enforcement officers, and even upon themselves. We therefore call upon the criminal justice system to impose punishments, consistent with the substantive and procedural legal rights of the accused drivers, that are just and that send a message to everyone in our community that driving while intoxicated will not be tolerated. In addition, the civil justice system can provide a measure of compensation to the victims. But the pickup truck driver who caused the fatal collision on the I-10 feeder road may not have had sufficient insurance coverage for such a catastrophic loss. It is simply time for residents of this region to impose punishment on such grossly negligent drivers, and to demand that the victims of their carelessness be fully compensated.
If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident with an intoxicated driver, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or toll free at 713-222-7211.