UPDATE (November 12, 2024): Sources have identified the driver who initially crashed into a construction barrier as 26-year-old Rachel Hadley. The identities of the other people involved in the wreck have not been released.
Fort Worth, TX — November 11, 2024, three people were injured in a three-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 287 in Fort Worth.
Authorities didn’t release many details, but preliminary reports say the incident happened around 2:30 a.m. in a construction zone along U.S. 287 near Village Creek Road. Investigators believe an SUV hit a temporary barrier on a ramp in the construction zone and may have become disabled. A Dodge driver stopped to help, but moments later the Dodge was hit by an Infiniti vehicle.
Two people from the Infiniti were seriously injured and were taken to an area hospital. The Dodge driver who tried to help at the scene received minor injuries.
Police allege the SUV driver who hit the barrier and the Infiniti driver are both suspected of driving under the influence.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
Police brought up alcohol as a possible factor here, but I don’t say that to get on a soapbox about drunk driving. Most people are generally aware of the risks and dangers it poses, and those who choose to do it anyway will get their day in court to square their decision with the state. That’s between them, though, and it’s not my place to speculate about it. However, there might actually be another party—an “accomplice” of sorts—who has consequences of its own coming.
Under Texas dram shop law, a licensed alcohol vendor like a bar or restaurant can’t sell or serve drinks to an obviously intoxicated customer. If they over-serve someone and that customer hurts himself or others while drunk, then that business may have a legal duty to help the injured victims get back on their feet.
I’m not trying to jump ahead of the investigation here. Intoxication was only mentioned as suspected, and I’m not saying I know something police don’t. Even if evidence points that way, it still doesn’t necessarily mean a careless bartender over-served anyone. I just know from helping hundreds of DWI crash victims that bad bars get away with dangerous negligence all the time, and that behavior endangers whole communities. If investigating the source of someone’s drinks could help shut down that behavior, while also giving crash victims a chance at some much-needed help, that seems like plenty of reason to investigate further. Will authorities do that, or should someone else pick up where they leave off?
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