When a person in Texas chooses to drink alcoholic beverages and then drive, they are consciously putting themselves and other people at risk. When this drinking takes place in a restaurant or bar where other people are involved in serving alcohol to those who may ultimately be driving, one cannot help but consider the potential role these restaurant and bar employees have in any accident that may ultimately take place.
A tragic and fatal accident in February may well serve as an example to people about just who might be held responsible for acts of drunk driving. Simply put, that responsibility may not only lie with the driver but with those who provided alcohol to the driver. To add to the complexity in this case, the drunk driver was under the legal age for consuming alcohol as she was only 20.
The 20-year-old woman was reportedly accompanied by a 17-year-old in a bar in Clear Lake. Two hours after the crash, which claimed the life of a 36-year-old woman and her son, the drunk driver’s blood alcohol was found to be approximately double the 0.08 percent threshhold for the legal limit for those people 21 and older. In addition to manslaughter charges against the driver, the bartender and two others face criminal charges in the case. Those charges include failure to check identification, knowingly purchasing and providing alcohol to a minor and criminal negligence for allowing a minor to consume alcohol.
While nothing can bring back the lives of those lost in these unnecessary accidents, seeking compensation is reasonable and talking with a lawyer in Texas may provide insight into how to do this.
Source: ABC News, “4 charged for roles in underage drunk driving crash that killed Texas mom and baby,” April 5, 2018