Houston, TX — July 13, 2025, Curtis Van Diest and Catherine Van Diest were killed in an alleged drunk driver accident at about 5:45 p.m. at Magnolia Cove Drive and West Lake Houston Parkway.
Authorities said a westbound pickup crashed into a northbound Cadillac SUV at the Kingwood intersection.
The couple in the SUV, Curtis Van Diest, 80 and Catherine Van Diest, 66, were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to authorities.
The pickup driver, who was hospitalized after the crash with unspecified injuries, has been charged with intoxication manslaughter, authorities said. He allegedly ran a stop sign before the crash.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Harris County crash at this time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When I read about incidents like this one, what stands out to me isn’t just what happened, but what’s missing from the conversation: how someone was allegedly so impaired behind the wheel, in broad daylight, that two people lost their lives. We hear a lot about criminal charges after a suspected DWI crash, and rightly so, but we rarely hear what came before. If someone was drunk enough at 5:45 p.m. to cause a fatal crash, that raises a natural and important question: Where did they get their alcohol?
One of the most important but often overlooked questions in cases like this is whether an alcohol provider — like a bar, restaurant or other licensed business — may have played a role by overserving the alleged offender. Under Texas law, businesses that serve alcohol have a duty not to serve someone who’s obviously intoxicated. If they do, and that person goes on to cause harm, the provider may share responsibility under what’s known as dram shop law. It’s not always obvious, but there may be more to this story than people realize.
These laws exist not to assign blame after the fact, but to prevent tragedies by placing responsibility where it belongs: not just on the driver, but potentially on those who contributed to the danger by serving them alcohol when they shouldn’t have. If the man charged in this crash had been drinking at a licensed establishment, it’s possible someone noticed, or should have noticed, he was unfit to drive. That’s the kind of question dram shop law is built to answer.
When you step back and look at what happened, it’s clear that accountability doesn’t begin and end at the scene of a crash. It may start hours earlier, in places that rarely get the scrutiny they should. That’s why these investigations matter, not only for the families affected, but for the broader community that depends on safe alcohol service and responsible oversight.
Three important things to keep in mind:
- Texas dram shop law allows families to hold alcohol providers accountable if they overserve someone who’s obviously intoxicated and that person causes harm.
- A full investigation should look beyond the crash itself to determine where the alleged offender was drinking and whether proper safeguards were followed.
- Many people don’t realize these legal remedies exist, but they’re often the only path to answers when someone’s drinking may have started long before the crash.
call us 
Email Us 
Text us