San Antonio DUI Crash Scenario All Too Familiar
In an all too familiar headline, a woman died in a DUI car crash over the weekend in San Antonio. She was not wearing her seat belt at the time of the wreck. Sadly, DUI accidents are so common that the news puts aside a single paragraph to report what should be an extraordinary event — the unnecessary death of a human being because of the totally preventable action of driving while intoxicated.
The DUI accident occurred in the early morning hours on Sunday. The drunk driver was turning onto West Military Drive from West Commerce when he lost control of his Mitsubishi, jumped a curb, hit a tree and rolled into a drainage ditch. The car became wedged between the tree and a guardrail. The drunk driver suffered internal injuries and was rushed to the University Hospital in critical condition. His passenger was pronounced dead en-route to the hospital in the ambulance. To reach the seriously injured couple, emergency rescue technicians had to cut the roof off the vehicle.
San Antonio law enforcement has charged the drunk driver with intoxicated manslaughter for the death of his passenger.
Texas is the Leader in Number of Drunk Driving Deaths
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) reports that 1,296 people were killed in drunk driving accidents in Texas
in 2012 — the highest number of drunk driving deaths in any state in
the country. Even accounting for its large population, Texas tied Rhode
Island as the fourth highest percentage of traffic deaths that were DUI
related at 38 percent, barely below the leaders in this horrific status
— Hawaii at 40 percent, South Carolina at 41 percent and North Dakota
at 42 percent.
Texas is the Leader in Seat Belt Use
Fortunately, Texas ranked third, at 94 percent, in 2012 of numbers of drivers and passengers who use seat belts. According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Click It or Ticket website, seat belts saved an estimated 12,174 lives in 2012.
However, alcohol influences the decision whether to buckle-up.
Drunk drivers often fail to fasten their seat belts in addition to other risky conduct.
Stay Safe on Texas Roadways
You can take control over your own safety on Texas roadways. First, do
not drive after drinking alcohol or get in the car with somebody who
has. Second, always use a seat belt.
Sadly, even if you do the right thing, drunk drivers put your life at risk. I am a dedicated supporter of MADD
and hope one day Texas leads the way to zero DUI deaths. Having
represented victims of DUI accidents for more than three decades, I have witnessed the devastation my clients experience after losing a loved
one or suffering a permanent disability because of a drunk driver. If
you are the victim of a drunk driver in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, our
team is here to help you recover. Call us at 817-885-8000 for your free
case evaluation.