A tragedy occurred in a Texas city in Sept. 2013. One man is currently serving 20 years in prison for his involvement in a drunk driving accident that resulted in two deaths. Families of the decedents have now filed lawsuits against local bar owners whom they say should be held liable and accountable for the wrongful deaths of their loved ones.
The recently filed lawsuits claim that the bar owners of the establishment where the man who is now in prison had been drinking on the night of the accident continued to serve intoxicating beverages to the man, long after he became visibly drunk. The claim further states that the owners of the bar did nothing to attempt to help the man become sober before he exited the bar and got behind the wheel of an automobile. Reports indicate that he had consumed more than 20 alcoholic beverages before driving and that his blood alcohol content level far exceeded the legal limit on the night of the accident.
A 38-year-old and a 34-year-old were killed after the intoxicated motorist ran a red light and smashed into their vehicle. A 28-year-old who was also traveling with the others suffered a permanent brain injury in the crash. The lawsuits claim that, in addition to the motorist’s own negligence, the establishment owners were also negligent when they continued to serve an intoxicated person alcohol.
As in the above Texas case, any immediate family who suffers the untimely death of a loved on in a drunk driving accident is able to act on the decedent’s behalf by filing a legal claim in a civil court. This allows the family member/members to seek compensation for damages associated with the accident. A successfully litigated case could award compensation to help offset funeral costs and other accident related losses. Though it is no replacement for the loss of human life, it might be of comfort to know that a family’s financial stress might be somewhat alleviated through a successful litigation.
Source: txktoday.com, “Second lawsuit filed against Hopkins Icehouse in fatal drunk driving crash“, Field Walsh, Sept. 23, 2015