Odell McKnight III, Passengers Injured in Houston, TX Car Accident
Houston, TX — June 12, 2022, 26-year-old Odell McKnight III and his passengers were injured in a car crash on Jefferson Street in Houston.
According to reports the incident happened around 2:50 a.m. on Jefferson at Smith Street. Preliminary investigation suggests a BMW sedan was traveling east on Jefferson as McKnight was driving a Toyota Corolla south on Smith.
Reports say the BMW driver ran a red light at the intersection and hit the southbound Toyota on its passenger side.
McKnight and his passengers, two women ages 25 and 27, suffered serious injuries in the collision. The BMW driver was unhurt. Investigators detained him on suspicion of DWI.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Odell McKnight III Accident in Houston
Authorities believe the suspect may have been intoxicated. I have no specific reason to doubt that, but as always I want to point out it hasn't been proven. Houston law enforcement tends to be touchy about alcohol since Harris County generally leads the state in DWI-related accidents, so they often suggest it after crashes where it conceivably could be a factor. They'll still need clear evidence before it's anything but a theory; typically that comes from blood test results. It's unclear whether they collected samples here, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me.
If evidence confirms their suspicions then some might the only thing left is to charge the driver accordingly. However, there may be more issues to look into. For example, if a local alcohol provider over-served the driver and made him too drunk to drive, then that business may be responsible for the victims' injuries under Texas dram shop law.
When a licensed alcohol vendor like a bar or restaurant over-serves an obviously intoxicated customer, it should answer for its illegal actions the same as anyone else. Dram shop law gives people hurt by drunk drivers the right to seek help from a business that got those drivers over-intoxicated. It also teaches those businesses a serious lesson about getting their priorities straight and obeying the law.
Not every DWI crash starts with a dram violation. One may or may not have happened in the Houston crash, and I'm not saying I know of a specific business that should be investigated. If police don't plan to look into it at all, though, maybe an independent investigation could find more answers.
