Tom Green County, TX — November 7, 2025, Kathleen Riendeau was injured in an alleged drunk driver accident at about 6:15 p.m. on U.S. Route 277.
A preliminary accident report indicates that a northbound 2018 Mercedes-Benz 300 collided with a southbound 2016 Nissan Pathfinder north of Christoval.
The Nissan driver suffered minor injuries in the crash, according to the report, but passenger Kathleen Riendeau, 74, was seriously injured.
The Mercedes driver, who was not hurt, was charged with driving while intoxicated after the crash, the report states.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Tom Green County crash at this time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When I read about incidents like this one, what stands out to me isn’t just what happened, but what’s missing from the conversation; namely, where the alleged drunk driver was before they got behind the wheel. These cases often prompt immediate and appropriate scrutiny of the driver’s actions, but they rarely look upstream to examine how someone became intoxicated enough to pose a danger in the first place. That’s an area where Texas law offers tools that many people don’t know they can use.
If the driver now facing a DWI charge had been drinking at a bar, restaurant or other licensed establishment prior to the crash, that business may have had a legal duty to stop serving alcohol once the person became obviously intoxicated. Under Texas dram shop law, it’s illegal to continue serving someone who presents a clear danger to themselves or others due to their level of intoxication. If that duty was ignored, the consequences can extend far beyond the driver.
Accountability in these cases doesn’t just help injured victims seek answers. It also serves a broader public safety function. Every time overservice goes unchecked, the risk of future harm increases. A thorough investigation into where the driver was drinking, if anywhere, could reveal whether an alcohol provider played a role in putting others at risk that evening.
It’s not always obvious, but there may be more to this story than people realize. The focus tends to stay on the crash itself, but in cases involving alcohol, the path leading up to the crash deserves just as much attention.
Three key takeaways for those trying to make sense of incidents like this one:
- Dram shop law in Texas holds alcohol providers accountable for overserving clearly intoxicated patrons who later cause harm.
- Identifying where an allegedly impaired driver was drinking is a crucial step in determining whether that kind of overservice took place.
- Even if it’s not common knowledge, the law gives injured people and their families a way to explore these questions, and take action if a provider contributed to the harm.
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