DWI Crash Takes Life of Dallas Appeals Judge

In a blow to the Texas legal community, Justice David L. Bridges was tragically killed in a horrific collision on Saturday night. Justice Bridges was driving on Interstate 30 when a 32-year-old woman, Megan Smith of Royse City, was driving the wrong way and hit his and another vehicle head-on.

Smith was driving while intoxicated and was arrested for intoxication manslaughter.

Justice Bridges, 65, was elected in 1996 to the 5th District Court of Appeals in Dallas. He was born in Fort Worth, according to his biography on the Texas Judicial Branch website. After graduating from Texas Tech law school, he served as an assistant District Attorney and as the Chief Disciplinary Counsel for the State Bar of Texas.

We extend our sincere condolences to the Justice’s family.

Texas drunk driving crashes are an epidemic

DWI wrecks are the leading cause of fatalities in the Lone Star State. In 2019, statistics show there were almost 9,000 crashes caused by an intoxicated driver which killed almost 900 people.

The drunk driver is often speeding in a pickup truck.

Every one of these crashes is 100% preventable.

The coronavirus has not stopped reckless driving

You would think that with a lot fewer vehicles on our roads, car and truck crashes would have decreased substantially. However, the opposite has happened.

Some drivers seem to feel like they can speed and drive more recklessly now that the roads are less busy. State statistics reveal that the fatality rate per mile driven has increased by a huge 14% this year.

Police officers have issued more speeding citations for speeds over 150 miles per hour to people who must think that they were competing at last weekend’s race at the Texas Motor Speedway.

This is infuriating. We advocate for stronger drunk driving laws and tougher criminal and civil enforcement to make our roads safer.

We truly hope that this terrible collision will motivate our lawmakers and justice system to make the changes we need to crack down on this public health crisis.

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