Cameron County, TX — May 11, 2025, Teresa Santos Perez was injured as the result of a car accident at around 11:09 p.m. along I-69E.
Initial details about the accident say that it took place along northbound lanes of the interstate in the area of Los Ebanos Boulevard.
According to officials, 42-year-old Teresa Santos Perez was in a Nissan Sentra traveling along I-69E. It appears that a GMC Sierra going the same direction collided with the Nissan. As a result of the accident, Teresa Santos Perez reportedly sustained serious injuries.
No other injuries were confirmed. Authorities say that the GMC Sierra driver may have been under the influence of alcohol, but this wasn’t confirmed.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When alcohol is suspected in a serious crash but not yet confirmed, it can be easy for the public to tune out the possibility entirely. But from my perspective, this kind of uncertainty shouldn’t be the end of the conversation—it should be the beginning of a deeper look at how this may have happened, and whether someone else had a role in putting an impaired driver on the road.
If it turns out that alcohol was involved, then it’s fair to ask whether the driver was over-served while already obviously intoxicated. In Texas, that kind of over-service isn’t just a mistake—it’s a potential violation of dram shop law, which prohibits alcohol providers from continuing to serve someone showing clear signs of intoxication. The point of that law isn’t just punishment; it’s prevention. It exists to keep situations like this from unfolding in the first place.
Yet time and again, that part of the equation is left unexamined. Investigators understandably focus on the crash itself—who was hit, what injuries occurred, and whether the driver should be charged. But unless someone takes the step to ask where the drinking may have happened, any role that an alcohol provider might have played usually remains in the dark.
Even when the facts aren’t fully in, these moments are a reminder of the broader systems at work. The law in Texas gives us a framework to look beyond the road and into the decisions made before someone ever turns a key in the ignition. Whether that framework gets used depends on whether people know it exists.
Three key takeaways:
- If alcohol played a role, Texas dram shop law may apply to any provider who over-served an obviously intoxicated patron.
- Investigations don’t always explore the source of the alcohol unless someone pushes for that to happen.
- Even when alcohol involvement is still uncertain, it’s worth asking whether over-service may have contributed behind the scenes.
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