A Texas man is facing charges after apparently causing a drunk driving accident on a Texas highway in the early morning. The authorities received a report around 5 a.m. on a recent Sunday about a vehicle headed in the wrong direction on the highway. A few minutes later, while the officers were still being dispatched to the scene, the SUV collided with a pickup truck. Fortunately, there were no casualties, though sheriff’s deputies indicated that it was a drunk driving accident.
According to reports, the man driving the SUV was intoxicated and headed in the wrong direction on the highway. The head-on crash trapped the pickup driver in his vehicle. Hydraulic tools were needed to free him. Both men were taken to a nearby hospital for examination.
The SUV driver is currently facing charges of intoxication assault. The authorities reported that the man’s blood alcohol level was .215 percent, well above the legal threshold of .08 to drive in Texas. Although information about either man’s condition was not reported, the driver of the SUV reportedly suffered a serious leg injury and may require surgery.
Too many have been injured or killed due to drunk driving accidents. Many people have lost their own lives, lost loved ones or suffered serious injuries as a direct consequence of this unlawful behavior. While authorities are pursuing the criminal charges against this man, the injured pickup driver may consider filing a personal injury claim in a Texas civil court. Regardless of the outcome of the criminal proceedings, claims for specific items of damages will be considered if negligence is established in a civil court. Moreover, if the man is convicted in criminal court, proof of that finding of guilt may be offered as evidence of financial liability in a related civil proceeding.
Source: The Dallas Morning News, “Drunken-driving suspect hospitalized in wrong-way crash in downtown Dallas”, Jon McClure, June 23, 2014