Midland, TX — December 22, 2024, Efrain Rico Jr. and one other were injured following a possible drunk driver accident at 6:05 p.m. on Front Street.
According to initial details about the accident, it happened at the intersection of Front Street/Business I-20 and North Lamesa Road.
Investigators said that 21-year-old Efrain Rico Jr. was in a Nissan Sentra going westbound through the intersection. While doing so, a Dodge Ram going eastbound may have failed to yield making a left turn, and the two vehicles collided. As a result, Efrain Rico Jr. was seriously injured. Another person had possible minor injuries.
The driver of the Dodge Ram allegedly had been drinking, but additional details about the cause of the crash remain unclear.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
If alcohol is confirmed as a factor here, that could make things a lot more complex than folks may realize. People tend to think that if a driver is drunk, they’re charged, and that’s that, right? That may be where authorities often leave things, but if investigations continue, they’ll often find there was an accomplice to the whole situation: a negligent alcohol provider. They, too, may need to be held accountable.
Simply put, bars, liquor stores, restaurants, and other establishments unlawfully serve people when they provide alcohol to people who are obviously intoxicated. Doing so can expose those alcohol providers to potential criminal investigations, fines, suspended licenses, or liability for any resulting injuries. Authorities may be thorough holding a drunk driver accountable, but those alcohol providers can just continue over-serving people if their own negligent behavior is left unchecked.
That’s why it’s important accidents like this get serious attention. Maybe alcohol wasn’t ultimately the cause of the crash, or maybe there was no complicit negligent alcohol provider. But victims and families deserve to know those things have been definitively ruled out through evidence. Either that, or they deserve to see all wrongdoers brought to light and held accountable. Were steps taken to see that happened here?
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