Aransas County, TX — July 31, 2025, Charles Pardue was injured due to an alleged drunk driver accident just before 2:45 p.m. along State Highway 35.
According to authorities, 64-year-old Charles Pardue was traveling in a westbound Mazda on S.H. 35 in the vicinity east of F.M. 3036 when the accident took place.
Officials indicate that an eastbound Toyota Tundra pickup truck occupied by a 45-year-old man attempted a left turn into a driveway at an apparently unsafe time, failing to yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic. A collision consequently occurred between the front-left of the pickup truck and the front-right of the Mazda.
Pardue reportedly sustained serious injuries over the course of the accident. Authorities have apparently recommended charges of Intoxication Assault against the man who had been behind the wheel of the pickup truck because he had allegedly been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the wreck.
Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When I read about crashes like this one, what strikes me is how ordinary the circumstances seem until you look closer. A left turn gone wrong in the middle of the afternoon might sound like just another traffic mistake—until authorities say alcohol was involved. That’s when the questions shift from a split-second error to decisions made well before the driver ever reached that intersection.
One of the most important but often overlooked questions in situations like this is, “Where did the driver get their alcohol?” If the man accused of intoxication assault had been drinking at a bar, restaurant, or another alcohol-serving business before getting behind the wheel, and he was already showing signs of obvious intoxication, that establishment may share in the responsibility. Texas dram shop law exists for exactly this reason—to hold providers accountable when they serve people who clearly shouldn’t have another drink.
It may not always be obvious, but these cases often turn on what happened hours before the crash. Was the driver overserved at a bar where someone ignored the warning signs? Did an establishment put profit over safety by continuing to serve him? These are the kinds of questions that go unanswered if we only focus on the driver and not the broader chain of accountability.
If alcohol truly played a role here, as the charges suggest, then the path that led to the injured party’s suffering didn’t begin at the point of impact—it may have started at the barstool or table where someone kept pouring drinks. And the law recognizes that.
Here are three important takeaways for readers to keep in mind:
- Dram shop laws create accountability not just for drunk drivers, but also for businesses that overserve people who are already clearly impaired.
- A full investigation should look beyond the crash itself to determine where and how the driver obtained their alcohol.
- Many people are unaware that the law provides tools to uncover these details and hold all responsible parties accountable.
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