Luis Ramos Torres, Hilary Rivera Febus Killed in Irving, TX Car Accident on PGBT
Irving, TX — June 5, 2022, Luis Ramos Torres and Hilary Rivera Febus were killed in a crash with a suspected drunk driver in Irving.
According to reports the wreck happened around 2:00 a.m. on President George Bush Turnpike near Belt Line Road. Preliminary investigation suggests Torres, 28, and Febus, 29, were riding a Honda motorcycle south on the highway in the left-center lane, followed at some distance by a Nissan Sentra.
Reports say the Nissan driver was speeding and under the influence of alcohol, causing him to crash into the motorcycle. The impact ejected both riders into the roadway, causing them fatal injuries.
The Nissan driver was reportedly charged with murder due to a history of DWI infractions. Police also charged him with resisting arrest.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Luis Ramos Torres, Hilary Rivera Febus Accident in Irving
It's just terrible to see two young lives lost in a crash, but it's beyond frustrating to learn it might be due to something as easily avoided as intoxicated driving. If the allegations against the striking driver are true--including his mentioned prior history of DWI--he may likely have serious consequences coming his way in the justice system. But is that all there is to the story, or could someone else also be responsible for the victims' tragic passing? Under Texas dram shop law, there might be.
If it turns out that alcohol was a factor here as police suspect, that could mean that a local alcohol provider illegally over-served the intoxicated driver. According to dram shop law, an alcohol provider who over-serves an obviously intoxicated person may be held liable for damages resulting from that intoxication.
I've looked into hundreds of businesses over the years for recklessly over-serving people. Holding them accountable for that negligence serves the dual purpose of providing badly-needed help to victims and families and improving community safety. I can't recall a single business held responsible through dram shop law that didn't clean up their act afterward.
Most reasonable people would agree that holding everyone responsible for this tragedy accountable for their role is important. If for some reason people don't feel that's enough reason to investigate a dram violation, consider that stopping those also makes the public and the roads safer. It remains to be seen if authorities will look into that possibility to ensure the victims' loved ones get the answers and help they deserve.
