Roger Coronado Injured in Single-Vehicle Accident on I-35 in New Braunfels, TX
New Braunfels, TX — June 26, 2022, 32-year-old Roger Coronado was seriously injured in a single-vehicle accident on Interstate 35 in New Braunfels.
According to reports the incident happened around 3:45 a.m. on I-35 South near Engel Road. Preliminary investigation suggests Coronado was driving a Dodge Journey north on the highway when he lost control. The Dodge veered into the median between the highway proper and the frontage road, then hit a culvert and briefly went airborne. It overturned on landing and rolled several times before coming to rest upright.
Coronado suffered serious injuries in the crash and was taken to an area hospital.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Roger Coronado Accident in New Braunfels
Authorities suspected alcohol may have played a role in this accident. I have no reason to doubt that, but at the same time theories aren't facts unless evidence confirms them. In most cases police look for that proof either by drawing blood to test or getting the victim's treatment records; it's unclear whether they did either here, but neither would surprise me.
If evidence confirms intoxication was involved then some might the only thing left is to charge the driver accordingly; between that and his injuries many would probably assume that's plenty of consequences to go around since no one else was hurt. However, there may be other issues to look into as well. For example, a local alcohol provider might have over-served the victim and made him too inebriated to drive. If that happened, the business may be responsible for his injuries under Texas dram shop law.
When a licensed alcohol vendor like a bar or restaurant over-serves an obviously intoxicated customer, it breaks the law. Period. If that customer causes or suffers injuries while under the influence, the business may be liable for the victims' injuries.
Dram shop gives people hurt in DWI crashes (including the drivers themselves) the right to seek help from businesses that served them to excess. It also teaches those businesses a serious lesson about getting their priorities straight and obeying the law. Not all DWI wrecks start with dram violations, and I'm not saying I know of a specific New Braunfels business that misbehaved. If police don't plan to find out for sure, though, an independent investigation may be best.
