2 Injured in Alleged Drunk Driver Accident on U.S. 259 in Rusk County, TX

Basic Facts

Crash date: March 5, 2026

Crash location: U.S. Highway 259 near the Old Kilgore Highway intersection in Rusk County, Texas

People involved:

• Unidentified man, 36
• Unidentified man, 49

Do authorities suspect alcohol played a role in this crash? yes

Did authorities recommend criminal charges? yes

Do authorities suspect a product defect caused the crash? unknown

Accident Report

March 5, 2026, two people were injured due to an alleged drunk driver accident at approximately 6:45 a.m. along U.S. Highway 259.

According to authorities, a 49-year-old man was traveling in a northwest bound Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on U.S. 259 just past the Old Kilgore Highway intersection when the accident took place. Officials indicate that a northwest bound Nissan Rogue operated by a 36-year-old man rear-ended the Silverado. The pickup truck apparently overturned over the course of the accident.

The man from the Rogue had allegedly been under the influence of alcohol at the time. Authorities have recommended Intoxication Assault charges against him.

Both the 36-year-old and the 49-year-old reportedly sustained serious injuries as a result of the wreck. Additional details pertaining to this incident—including the identities of the victims—are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.

How Did This Accident Occur?

Over the last thirty years, I’ve had the opportunity to analyze hundreds of alcohol-related car accidents. I hope the authorities who are in charge of investigating this wreck think to look beyond the physical accident scene. After all, decisions were made well before the accident took place that had a hand in the result. Yes, someone allegedly decided to get behind the wheel even though they were intoxicated. But that decision may have stemmed from somewhere else.

Allow me to explain. I would like to know where the driver of the Rogue had been drinking before the accident. If he had been on a late night bender at a bar, for example, and someone continued to serve him alcohol even after he was clearly intoxicated, then that person would have played a part in the resulting wreck. But why does that matter? What good does it do knowing whether or not he was overserved?

Texas has a little-known tool called Dram Shop Law. It allows establishments that sell alcohol to be held accountable if they overserve someone and that person is later involved in a serious accident where someone is hurt. That’s why I hope investigators peel back all the layers, following the chain of decisions back from the location of the wreck to where it all actually started. That way, everyone with a portion of the responsibility for the outcome can be held accountable.