Dallas County, TX — January 5, 2025, a child was injured due to an alleged drunk driver accident at around 9:17 p.m. along U.S. Highway 67.
According to initial details about the crash from authorities, it happened along highway lanes near the intersection of South Main Street.
Investigators said that 33-year-old Davonrich Jackson and a 5-year-old child were in a Chevy Suburban traveling along the highway. In a series of events not entirely clear, police say that a Nissan Maxima going the same direction failed to control speed, colliding with the Chevy. Due to the collision, the child in the vehicle with Davonrich Jackson sustained reportedly serious injuries. No other injuries were confirmed.
Reports allege that the driver of the Nissan had been under the influence of alcohol at the time. They recommended a charge for DWI.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
Any allegation of drunk driving is serious, especially if it results in a child being seriously injured. While that could certainly lead to a drunk driver facing serious consequences, there could be more to the story. Depending on certain factors, there may also be a negligent alcohol provider responsible for the victim’s injuries. My concern is that authorities may have overlooked this.
For example, that’s what happened in a case a family came to me with not too long ago. A family had been out in the evening when a drunk driver turned the wrong way into traffic and hit them, nearly killing a young boy. Authorities were thorough in their efforts to hold the drunk driver accountable, but when we asked the parents if they knew where the driver had been drinking, they were caught off guard. Authorities never so much as mentioned looking into a bar. Through our independent investigations, they soon were shocked as to why authorities never bothered investigating the bar themselves.
Evidence clearly showed that the bar unlawfully over-served the drunk driver. Texas law says bars and other providers are prohibited from serving people who are obviously intoxicated. Prior to getting on the road, that drunk driver was getting drink after drink at the bar beyond the point he could barely walk without almost falling over. The bar simply didn’t care about the risks and kept the drinks coming. As such, they ended up being liable for contributing to the young boy’s injuries, and they also exposed themselves to potential fines, license suspension, and even criminal investigations.
I wish I could say that example was unusual. The reality is many of the hundreds of alcohol-related accident cases I’ve handled involved negligent alcohol providers whom the authorities never bothered investigating on their own. It’s just not that high of a priority for many departments, and that allows many negligent alcohol providers to fly under the radar rather than face appropriate consequences for their actions.
So while I can’t say exactly what all led to this accident, it’s important for people to understand their rights relating to a serious accident. Dram shop law gives victims and families an opportunity to see accountability for wrongs done to them and to help prevent other families from suffering the same harms they did. Maybe authorities here have been working behind the scenes to investigate the possibility of a negligent alcohol provider contributing to the crash. If that required more thorough independent investigations, though, it wouldn’t be anything new.
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