We are all busy enjoying the holidays — some people too much. The period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is one of the most dangerous times to be on the road in Texas. With all the Christmas parties and football games, driving while intoxicated collisions increase. Too many people decide to get too drunk, drive too recklessly, and cause too many car crashes.
Latest driving while intoxicated collisions
Consider these heart-breaking stories from the past few days:
- Today — a man who was driving his BMW the wrong way on Loop 820 West in Fort Worth was sentenced to 20 years in jail for intoxication manslaughter. This is the maximum sentence under the Texas Penal Code, Section 49.08. The drunk crashed head-on into the car of Moses Elizondo, a kind 21-year-old who was working late to make money to go back to college.
- Yesterday morning at 10:30 a.m. — a drunk driver in Dallas veered off Avondale Avenue near Turtle Creek Boulevard in Dallas. He killed a 72 year-old-woman who was getting a little exercise walking on a raised sidewalk. The driver of the black Audi was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. He had a prior DWI conviction in nearby Uptown a few years ago and made no attempt to help the woman he struck. This crash should be the poster child for why we must do more to crack down on DWIs.
- Yesterday about 2:30 a.m. — someone drove the wrong way on the Dallas North Tollway near Forest Lane and hit another vehicle. Fortunately only the wrong-way driver was injured. Often these are high-speed crashes that seriously injure or take the lives of one or multiple people.
- Last week –a wrong-way driver crashed into other vehicles at 3:30 a.m. on Interstate 30 near Riverside Drive in Fort Worth. That driver died and another motorist was injured.
And the season began on a terrible note on Thanksgiving morning. A woman was DWI at 5:00 a.m. and was on her way to tailgate before the Cowboys game to get even drunker when she crashed into other vehicles in the Mid Cities. This tragically took the life of a 17-year-old Fort Worth high school senior, Benjamin Castaneda.
This was the second young man killed here in the past few weeks due to these horrible DWI wrecks. Thank you to the Fort Worth Star Telegram for remembering Moses and Benjamin and warning drivers about the dangers of driving while intoxicated collisions.
Numbers show what a major problem driving while intoxicated collisions are
These are just a few of the articles posted in the media. But this is a huge problem in the DFW area and around our country. The statistics reveal that just in the last year
- About 11,000 people were killed in driving while intoxicated collisions in the U.S. It is shocking that this is one every 48 minutes.
- About 300,000 people were injured in them – another frightening statistic.
- 90 people died here in the Metroplex in over 5,000 DWI wrecks.
How to stay safe this holiday season
Alcohol causes extremely dangerous driving behaviors. So the best advice is to not drive or at least stay off the streets late at night and on weekends. Be extra cautious when you drive. Pull off the road and call 911 if you suspect drunken driving.
If you plan to go out and celebrate, arrange in advance to have an Uber or designated driver take you home.
We must stop the madness. We cannot allow driving while intoxicated collisions to continue.
We can help you
We certainly hope that you do not need our services, but we at Berenson Injury Law have seen a lot of driving while intoxicated collisions over the past nearly 40 years. That is because there are so many of them.
If you have been hurt in any type of car, truck, motorcycle, or pedestrian crash, please contact us online here or call us at 1-888-801-8585.
The first meeting is no obligation and is free so you can decide if you think we can get you the compensation you deserve. This is an example our work in a case we resolved several weeks ago.
We hope you are safe and sound and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.