Tatyana Ruiz Killed in Single-Vehicle Accident on Westgreen Blvd in Harris County, TX
Harris County, TX -- March 17, 2022, driver Tatyana Ruiz was killed in a single-vehicle accident on Westgreen Boulevard in Harris County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 11:40 p.m. on the 700 block of Westgreen Boulevard. Preliminary investigation suggests Ruiz was driving a Hyundai Elantra south on the roadway when she lost control for unknown reasons. The car struck the right outside curb of the road, then veered left and struck a tree in the center median of the roadway.
Ruiz, reportedly not wearing a seat belt, suffered fatal injuries in the crash.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Tatyana Ruiz Accident on Westgreen Blvd in Harris County
UPDATE (June 23, 2022): Later reports say the victim had a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of .205 at the time of the crash. I say that with no judgment, and it may still not be the sole contributing factor of her accident, but since evidence seems to show she was significantly over the legal limit for intoxication that may change the investigation.
Depending on certain factors, Texas businesses that serve alcohol may also be responsible for the injuries their customers cause or suffer while impaired. Under dram shop law alcohol vendors like bars and restaurants are prohibited from selling or serving drinks to obviously intoxicated customers. It's unclear whether a bar had anything to do with the Harris County victim's impairment, but that should be carefully investigated in case it should answer for the damage its reckless over-service caused.
Unfortunately dram violations receive little attention from police. That's why if a bar is suspected of over-service then the people affected by that often seek help from independent investigators. Those professionals know what proof to look for and how to get it, and armed with what they find many folks affected by a bar's negligent over-service have held it accountable for what followed.
ORIGINAL: Some folks may read the few details of this accident and decide for themselves without further evidence what happened. After many late-night single-vehicle wrecks they're often content to blame one or more of the most common factors, like driver fatigue or distraction from a cell phone. Cynical readers might even try to blame impairment, though no mention was made of that in the limited information of news releases.
I'm not personally suggesting alcohol was involved in this wreck, but the statistics about solo crashes like this one can't be dismissed out of hand. Impairment is a common enough factor that police will probably at least consider the possibility, but it should only be one of many possibilities they look at. There are also less-common but still important factors to consider like vehicular failures, tire blowouts, hazardous road or weather conditions, or even other drivers involved in the crash that left the area without stopping or rendering aid.
Until all the facts are obtained through a thorough reconstruction of the scene and seeking out any additional sources of information like local security camera footage or eyewitness statements, it's important to be patient and not jump to conclusions. At the very least, the victim's loved ones deserve to know that all care was taken to discover the truth of what caused their tragic loss.
