San Antonio, TX — June 22, 2024, Hector Ortiz, Erica Garcia, and one other were injured after an alleged drunk driver accident at 5:00 p.m. on Culebra Road.
Authorities said in their initial statements that the accident took place at the intersection of Culebra Road and Westover Hills.
It appears that 43-year-old Hector Enrique Ortiz, 46-year-old Erica Garcia, and a 2-year-old were in a Ford F-150 on eastbound Culebra. While crossing with a green light, it’s said the F-150 crashed with a westbound GMC Sierra that attempted to turn left on a yellow light.
As a result of the collision, Ortiz and Garcia reportedly had serious injuries. The child did not have reported injuries. The GMC driver had reportedly moderate injuries. That driver is accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, and authorities recommended charges for intoxication assault.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
Once an alleged drunk driver is facing charges, folks tend to think that wraps everything up. In reality, though, there’s often a lot more to a drunk driving accident than initial reports may say. For example, I had a case recently involving a drunk driver hitting a family’s car head-on. Authorities were quick to see that driver held accountable, but they overlooked something important: the driver had been illegally over-served by a bar.
After the family asked us to look into things, we began retracing the drunk driver’s steps leading up to the accident. What we found was a mountain of evidence showing the bar broke the law and over-served the man. They kept pouring drinks despite the man’s clear danger to others. He could barely walk to the bathroom, let alone drive. Thanks to those investigations, that negligent bar was held accountable for their role in the accident.
What’s interesting about that case was just how shocked the family was that authorities hadn’t conducted their own investigations into the bar. Their behavior was egregious and clearly illegal, yet they were only held accountable because the family happened to seek out a second opinion from someone who’s experienced with investigating negligent alcohol providers. It’s unfortunately common for authorities to overlook those possibilities, which is why accidents like this can help shine a light on an area of Texas law that gets far too little attention.
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