UPDATE (August 19, 2024): Houston officials released reports saying that John Roy succumbed to the injuries resulting from this accident. It’s unclear if the pending charges for the alleged drunk driver are being upgraded. Further information is unavailable.
Houston, TX — June 18, 2024, John Roy sustained injuries due to an alleged drunk driver accident at around 2:30 a.m. along the Southwest Freeway.
Authorities said in preliminary statements that the accident happened along on northbound lanes of the interstate in the area of Bissonnet Street.
According to officials, 69-year-old John Linnieth Roy was in a Toyota Tacoma pulling a trailer along I-69/U.S. 59. From behind, it appears an Acura SUV crashed into Roy’s trailer, causing the pickup to lose control and enter the path of an 18-wheeler, which then crashed into Roy. As a result, John Roy reportedly sustained serious injuries.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
The Acura driver was allegedly under the influence of alcohol at the time. Whenever I read about accidents involving alcohol, I take the time to emphasize the importance of finding out where that alcohol came from. If evidence shows a bar or some similar establishment illegally over-served the drunk driver, then they, too, may face legal repercussions for their role in the accident.
What could make this situation rather unique, though, is that it happened in Harris County. I’ve handled hundreds of cases against negligent alcohol providers all across the state. Generally speaking, the authorities rarely ever look for those providers, instead just putting all of the blame on the drunk drivers and moving on.
Authorities in Harris County, though, tend to be more proactive in holding both drunk drivers and negligent alcohol providers accountable. No doubt they’ve seen what I’ve seen in my career: when you hold negligent alcohol providers accountable, they clean up their act. So not only can those providers be held accountable, not only can they be liable for the harm they caused to victims and their families, but they can also be put on the straight-and-narrow so their actions don’t continue putting the community at risk.
With that said, while Harris County is better than most jurisdictions at giving these accidents the attention they deserve, they still let a lot slip through the cracks. That’s why victims and families generally only get the whole story when there are independent investigators there to pick up the slack. Considering this crash happened just half an hour after bars close, it would be pretty disappointing if authorities dropped the ball here.
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