Bastrop County, TX — November 26, 2025, one person was injured in an alleged drunk driver accident at about 7:30 p.m. on State Highway 95.
A preliminary accident report indicates that a 2024 Ford Mustang was heading south when it collided with a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse that had slowed to make a left turn north of Bastrop.
A passenger in the SUV, a 62-year-old man whose name has not been made public yet, was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report, while driver Cesar Mendoza, 56, of Elgin suffered minor injuries.
The Mustang driver, who was not hurt, was charged with driving while intoxicated, the report states. He has at least two prior convictions for the same offense.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Bastrop 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, particularly when someone with a history of DWI offenses is again accused of driving under the influence. We often focus on the driver’s record, and for good reason, but that’s only part of the picture. In Texas, where alcohol service is tightly regulated, there’s a legal framework designed to hold alcohol providers accountable when they contribute to these kinds of incidents by overserving someone who’s clearly intoxicated.
If the reports are accurate and the driver in this case was indeed intoxicated, and has prior DWI convictions, it raises a serious question: where did he get his alcohol that night, and was he showing signs of intoxication when it was served? Texas law doesn’t just hold the driver responsible. It also gives victims and their families the right to ask whether a bar, restaurant or other alcohol-serving business played a role by serving someone who should have been cut off. That’s the kind of question dram shop law is built to answer.
Accountability in alcohol-related crashes doesn’t begin and end with the person behind the wheel. It’s about understanding the full chain of events that made the crash possible, and making sure that if someone in the alcohol industry contributed, they’re held to account. That’s not just about legal responsibility; it’s about making communities safer and preventing the same thing from happening again.
Three important takeaways:
- One of the most important but often overlooked questions in cases like this is, “Where did the driver get their alcohol?”
- Dram shop law allows victims to pursue answers and accountability if an alcohol provider overserved an obviously intoxicated person.
- Legal tools exist to help uncover the full story, even if most people don’t know they’re available.
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