No matter how many times the dangers of drunk driving are expounded upon, people still continue to do it. A large portion of all car crashes is due to drunk driving, and many of those crashes are fatal accidents. When one is young, one can sometimes act without regard to one’s own well-being as well as the well-being of others. Eleven people were recently involved in a Texas drunk driving accident, and tragically four of those people died.
A sixteen-year-old teenager was behind the wheel of his a pickup truck driving around six of his friends. A twenty-four-year-old woman was attempting to fix her disabled SUV, and three people–a mother, her daughter and a youth pastor–were trying to help her. The teen hit the four people who were outside of the woman’s car attempting to fix it, and the four of them were killed.
The teenager is said to have had a blood alcohol level of 0.24, which is three times the legal limit in Texas. Not only was he drinking underage, way over the legal limit and transporting too many passengers for his vehicle, footage from a local supermarket caught the teenagers stealing two cases of beer just before the crash. The teen is expected to be tried as a juvenile, but due to the severities of his crimes, he could possibly be tried as an adult.
It is unsure at this time the exact charges the teen will face; however, it is clear that this night of reckless behavior will affect him for the rest of his life. Not only will he face criminal charges, but he could very likely be subject to four wrongful death claims as well as possibly six personal injury claims from the passengers of the car, at least one of which was severely injured. The wrongful death claims could provide the families of the people who were killed in this drunk driving accident with compensation for funeral costs and the pain and suffering they have endured because of this teen’s poor choices.
Source: kristv.com, “Texas Teen Drunk Before Deadly Wreck,” July 10, 2013