Houston, TX — October 19, 2024, a 56-year-old bicyclist was seriously injured by an alleged drunk driver on Chartres Street in Houston.
Authorities say the incident happened around 12:25 a.m. on the 200 block of Chartres Street near Congress Street. According to investigators, a Toyota Tundra was traveling east on the roadway when it approached a cyclist. Officers say the cyclist changed lanes ahead of the pickup but the driver failed to control his speed; the truck then rear-ended the bicycle.
The cyclist was seriously injured in the collision. The 32-year-old pickup driver was unhurt.
Reports indicate that police charged the Tundra driver with DWI.
The investigation is ongoing. No further information is currently available.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
If evidence shows alcohol was a factor here as police suspected, the driver may face some legal consequences for his choices that day. Considering the damage he allegedly caused by rear-ending a bicycle in a large pickup truck, I’d say a day in court seems only right. Some may think whatever punishment he receives from that would be more or less the final chapter of the story, but that may not be true. To be sure they have all the facts, investigators should also look into where his (alleged) drinks came from. But why?
Texas dram shop law broadens the responsibility for DWI accidents beyond the drunk drivers to sometimes include the businesses that provided their drinks. If investigators learn that a licensed alcohol vendor over-served the driver—meaning they sold or served him more even though he was obviously intoxicated—before he injured that cyclist, the vendor may owe the accident victim a lot more than an apology.
Not every DWI crash starts with illegal over-service somewhere, but that reckless behavior is far more common than it ideally should be. If a local business broke the law and endangered its community, it should be held accountable for the role it played in the harm done. If an injured accident victim can get some much-needed help with his recovery in the process, that’s all the more reason to look into it. Will authorities do so?
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