Harris County, TX — December 2, 2023, Mateos Baltazar was killed due to an alleged intoxicated driver accident for which there may be pending charges.
Harris County officials released few details about the accident. Currently, details say only that Mateos Baltazar sustained fatal injuries due to a motor vehicle accident. A driver allegedly involved in the accident is accused of being intoxicated and causing that accident, and there appear to be pending charges for intoxication manslaughter. Right now, there are no additional details to confirm.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
While I obviously cannot confirm if these allegations are true or not, a charge for intoxication manslaughter is quite serious. The fact authorities feel confident they can get some kind of conviction here is significant, and it suggests they could have some pretty damning evidence.
Let me put into perspective why I say this. For example, I’ve handled hundreds of wrongful death cases against alcohol providers who over-served someone alcohol, and that person drove drunk and caused an accident that got someone killed. In those cases, part of holding the bars liable is to prove that intoxication was the proximate cause of the victim’s injuries. In a civil setting, the standard we have to meet is “more likely than not.” That alone requires tons of evidence, including things like witness testimony, toxicology tests, police statements, crash reconstruction data, etc.
Now consider that criminal law has a standard of proof of, “beyond a reasonable doubt.” That’s quite the high bar to clear, so when officials file charges, it’s generally because they feel confident they’ll succeed. What could the evidence be here that gives them that confidence?
