Alvarado, TX — September 23, 2024, 41-year-old Jason Vanmater was seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash on the I-35 service road in Johnson County.
According to authorities, the incident happened around 12:10 a.m. on the 6300 block of the I-35 service road near West Cotter Street. Preliminary investigation suggests Jason Vanmater was driving a Ford F-250 pickup south on the service road when he allegedly entered a curve at unsafe speeds. The truck hit a dirt berm on the south side of the road and the truck flipped several times.
Vanmater was partially ejected during the crash and suffered serious injuries; he was airlifted from the scene to an area hospital for treatment.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
Investigators mentioned a suspicion that alcohol was a contributing factor to this accident, but added that they didn’t test the victim due to his injuries. Whether field sobriety tests were performed or samples were collected at the scene, it’s still important even after the fact to find out whether the victim was impaired. Why? Because depending on where and how he got that way, another party—an “accomplice” of sorts—may be liable for the injuries he suffered in his crash.
Under Texas dram shop law, bars and other alcohol vendors may not sell or serve drinks to an obviously intoxicated customer. In other words, if a bartender, server, or cashier can tell someone is already drunk they can’t sell him more alcohol—period. Unfortunately many businesses take that more as a suggestion than a law they have to follow, and many over-served customers endanger themselves and others on the road. When that happens, those businesses may have an obligation to help injured victims get back on their feet.
To be clear, a crash victim’s health and well-being are obviously the main priority after an accident. When the dust settles, though, it’s often worth looking at exactly what led to their hospital stay. People would be surprised how often a careless bartender and a bottomless glass are major factors in someone’s failure to get from A to B. If anything like that happened in Alvarado, whichever business recklessly over-served the victim may owe him far more than a get-well card.
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