Wise County, TX — June 22, 2024, Jerry Smith, Sonya Smith, and two others were injured following an alleged drunk driver accident at 4:30 p.m. on F.M. 730.
According to preliminary information released about officials, the accident happened north of Pelican Bay in the area of F.M. 730 and County Road 4868.
Investigators said that 47-year-old Jerry Smith, 43-year-old Sonya Smith, and three others were in a Chevy Trailblazer with an attached trailer going southbound on F.M. 730. From the northbound lane, it appears that a different Chevy Trailblazer went left of center, crashing into the Smiths’ vehicle. It then crashed with a southbound Ford Ranger.
Due to the collision, Jerry Smith and the driver of the vehicle he was in had serious injuries while Sonya Smith reportedly had moderate injuries. The driver of the northbound vehicle also had reportedly serious injuries. Authorities allege that the northbound driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. No further information is available at this time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
If the allegations here are true, then there will likely be consequences for the alleged drunk driver. But are they the only ones who need to be held responsible? Authorities too often overlook the fact many accidents like this involve a negligent alcohol provider who illegally over-served that driver, and they, too, can be held accountable.
For example, I handled a case not long ago where a drunk driver drove into oncoming traffic, hitting a family head-on and seriously injuring a young kid. When they spoke to us, they were confused why we wanted to know if authorities found out where the driver had been drinking. Through our investigations, we showed that the bar that served the drunk driver recklessly poured the man drink after drink to the point he could barely walk. Then, they continued serving him more. They clearly broke the law and sent the guy stumbling out to their parking lot, and he shortly afterward nearly got someone killed.
After they saw our investigations, this family was shocked authorities never even bothered investigating the alcohol provider. Had they just trusted authorities to handle everything on their own, that establishment probably would have been let off the hook to continue breaking the law and putting the community in danger. I wish that were an unusual example, but of the hundreds of alcohol related accident cases I’ve handled in my career, far too many involved negligent alcohol providers authorities completely overlooked. So while I can’t say what all did or didn’t happen here, experience makes me skeptical that all of the factors leading to this accident are being properly addressed.
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