Austin County, TX — July 18, 2024, Michael Waybourn was killed and two were injured after a possible drunk driver accident at around 5:00 p.m. on Highway 159.
Preliminary details about the accident say it happened between Bellville and Hempstead in the area of Jackson Road, Kurt Road, and Langberg Road.
According to officials, 63-year-old Michael Waybourn was in a Toyota Tacoma going southbound along TX-159. Another pickup was going northbound when it reportedly went left of center and crashed head-on into Waybourn. As a result, Waybourn was killed. Two people in the other pickup reportedly had serious injuries.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
While details remain unconfirmed right now, authorities mentioned looking into alcohol as a possible factor in the accident. It’s possible this is just standard procedure for the authorities after any fatal accident. If it was involved, though, it’s important they also consider where that alcohol came from. People rightfully want to see accountability following any drunk driving accident, but they don’t realize how often that requires seeing more than one party answer for their actions.
Simply put, a lot of drunk driving accidents involve people who were illegally over-served by an alcohol provider. When that happens, those alcohol providers can face criminal investigations, fines, license suspensions, and liability for the resulting harm. Too often, though, they slip through the cracks because authorities put all of their focus on the drunk drivers. Meanwhile, there could be a bar or some other provider who was let off the hook and continues to put lives at risk.
So while it isn’t clear what all happened here, the current details available suggest this could be quite the complex situation. If authorities here do find that alcohol was a factor, it’s important to ensure they’re also continuing their investigations to get the whole story. Unless this was some unusual, unavoidable crash, there will have to be appropriate accountability for whatever mistakes led to someone losing their life.
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