One Killed, Two Injured in Car Accident on Acton Ave in Duncanville, TX
Duncanville, TX — June 27, 2022, one person died and two were injured in a single-vehicle accident on Acton Avenue in Duncanville.
According to reports the incident happened around 1:25 a.m. on Acton near Candlelight Avenue. Preliminary investigation suggests a Mercedes-Benz E350 sedan was traveling south on Acton when the driver lost control for unknown reasons. The car veered off the road and hit a tree, after which it caught fire.
A 23-year-old passenger in the car suffered fatal injuries in the crash. The 26-year-old driver and a 21-year-old passenger were seriously injured and were taken to area hospitals.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Car Accident on Acton Ave in Duncanville
Police suspect alcohol was a factor in this crash. If evidence confirms that the driver may face some legal consequences for her choices, but it's not my place to speculate about those. Instead, I'd rather address a different part of alcohol-related crashes that could help all the people affected by this accident--the driver, the injured passenger, and the family of the man that sadly lost his life.
Texas law looks beyond drunk drivers to where and how they drank, and in some cases a local business might have violated Texas dram shop law by over-serving the driver. That could have consequences of its own, some of which could help both injured people with the often-difficult road to recovery.
Dram shop law essentially prohibits licensed alcohol vendors (bars, restaurants, stores, etc) from selling or serving alcohol to obviously intoxicated customers. If they do anyway (which happens far too often) they may be responsible for any injuries their over-served customer causes or suffers while under the influence. A dram shop claim can be a crucial step in ensuring the victims get help, and it also teaches law-breaking bars an important lesson about getting their priorities in order.
Evidence hasn't confirmed that alcohol was involved in this crash, to say nothing of whether a business illegally over-served it. I'm not claiming to know for sure dram shop law applies, but I know from years of experience that it could have helped many people who never knew about it at all. That's why I talk about it after accidents where it might be a concern: If a local business violated its legal duties and people suffered as a result, that business should be held properly accountable and make whatever amends it can.
