Wise County, TX — November 24, 2023, a man was killed and Kevin Actkinson was injured following a car accident at 4:55 p.m. on F.M. 1810.

Authorities said in preliminary statements that the incident happened near the intersection of F.M. 1810 and F.M. 1655.

According to officials, 46-year-old Kevin Jerrod Actkinson was in a Ford F-150 going eastbound along F.M. 1810. At the intersection with F.M. 1655, authorities say a man in a Ford Ranger going southbound went through the stop sign, and the two vehicles collided.

As a result of the collision, Actkinson sustained injuries described as serious. The other driver was killed. Statements from authorities allege that the driver of the southbound Ford Ranger was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. No further information can be confirmed right now.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

After a crash allegedly involving alcohol, everyone agrees it’s important that the drunk driver needs to be held accountable. Obviously here, there isn’t a driver here to hold accountable. But even if there were, believing all the blame must lie with them alone is often too narrow a scope after a drunk driving wreck. For example, there could be an accomplice to this crash who also deserves to face consequences: an alcohol provider.

Put simply, if a local alcohol provider over-serves its customers to the point they get themselves killed and others seriously injured, that opens them up to potential consequences, including criminal charges, civil liability, and administrative penalties and fines. What makes these avenues so important to consider is they almost always get negligent establishments to clean up their act. Across the hundreds of cases our firm has handled against negligent alcohol providers, I’ve never seen the same establishment screw up twice once they’d been held accountable. They get a serious wake up call, and the result is fewer alcohol providers turning families’ worlds upside down.

So while I can’t say what all happened here or what may come next, it’s important to consider that accountability after a crash should mean accountability for all parties who contributed to the crash. Did authorities ensure that happened here?

Table of Contents