Abelino Perez Campuzano Injured in Car Accident in Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth, TX -- January 15, 2022, Abelino Perez Campuzano was injured due to an accident where multiple vehicles, including a semi, crashed.
Initial reports from the authorities indicated that the incident took place at around 2:50 a.m. at the I-20 and I-35W interchange.
Police said that 24-year-old Abelino Perez Campuzano was in a Ford F-150 traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of the freeway. Doing so, the vehicle collided into the trailer of an 18-wheeler that jackknifed trying to avoid hitting the Ford. Multiple other vehicles then collided.
It appears Campuzano had incapacitating injuries and that no one else was hurt. Right now, authorities have not suspected factors surrounding the accident.
Commentary on Abelino Perez Campuzano Truck Accident in Fort Worth
If it's true that the victim here was on the wrong side of the interstate, that raises some serious red flags. To be clear up front, I can't claim to know anything about this crash beyond what's given in these reports. It's simply that I've seen a lot of people throughout my career hurt themselves or others after getting on the wrong side of a highway. In almost every single one of those situations, evidence showed that the wrong-way driver was intoxicated. While there are all kinds of criticisms that may come to mind with a factor like that, one folks may not consider is that the wrong-way driver may also be a victim in all of this under Texas law.
The reason for this is dram shop law. An overwhelming majority of crashes like this one involved drunk drivers on their way home from a bar. Considering how unaware of their surroundings someone has to be to go up an exit ramp, passing multiple signs warning that it's the wrong way, one can see how a wrong-way driver may be a lot more than just over the legal limit. They're more likely highly intoxicated. So why does that matter, and what does dram shop say about it?
Put simply, if a bar over-serves alcohol to someone who is obviously intoxicated, they can be liable for injuries resulting from the intoxication. That means dram shop can get folks the help they need while also ensuring a negligent business is held accountable for harming their community.
This law doesn't always get a favorable reaction, since they think it's just a way to excuse drunk drivers. That's simply not what it's for Those drivers typically have their own consequences to face through the criminal system. But if people saw some of the businesses I've confronted through my career, they'd see why holding them accountable is so important. I've seen cases as egregious as bar staff pouring drinks into someone's barely-conscious mouth before literally carrying them to their car and putting the key in the ignition. Even if that isn't what happened here, shouldn't someone being seriously hurt warrant every effort to find out if there's some local business benefiting off of all the chaos.
[jump]
