Denison, TX — September 7, 2025, Trisha Cross was killed in an alleged drunk driver accident at about 2:15 a.m. in the 1700 block of F.M. 120/West Morton Street.
Authorities said a pickup left the road and hit several objects before it overturned.
Passenger Patricia Ann “Trisha” Cross, 42, died two days after the crash, according to authorities.
The driver, who suffered unspecified injuries in the crash, has been charged with intoxication manslaughter, authorities said.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Grayson 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. A woman lost her life, and reports point to intoxication as a likely factor, but almost no attention is given to where the alcohol may have come from. In Texas, we rightly hold drunk drivers accountable, but there’s a broader responsibility framework that often goes overlooked: the businesses that may have served someone who was already clearly intoxicated.
One of the most important but often overlooked questions in cases like this is, “Where did the driver get their alcohol?” If they were visibly intoxicated before getting behind the wheel, and a bar, restaurant or other alcohol-serving business served them anyway, that establishment may share legal responsibility under Texas dram shop law. These laws aren’t just about punishment. They’re about public safety, and they exist to prevent exactly these kinds of incidents from happening in the first place.
There’s no public information yet about where the driver had been before the crash, but that doesn’t mean those answers don’t exist. They just may not have been investigated, or not thoroughly. It may be surprising, but in many drunk driving crash investigations, authorities lack the resources and support necessary to track down the source of the alcohol, which is why these questions often go unanswered unless someone knows to ask them.
If intoxication played a role here, it’s worth asking not just who was behind the wheel, but who may have put them in a position to drive that way in the first place. That’s the kind of question dram shop law is built to answer.
Here are three important things to consider:
- Texas law allows families to investigate whether a bar or alcohol provider contributed to a crash by overserving someone who was already obviously intoxicated.
- Finding out where the driver got their alcohol isn’t automatic. It often requires an independent investigation.
- Even if it’s not widely known, the law offers tools for those affected by drunk driving crashes to seek accountability beyond the driver alone.
