One Injured in 4-Vehicle Crash on Gen. McMullen Ave in San Antonio, TX
San Antonio, TX — July 22, 2022, one person was critically injured in a four-vehicle collision on South General McMullen Drive in West San Antonio.
According to reports the incident happened around 9:30 p.m. on the 1200 block of General McMullen. Preliminary investigation suggests a Dodge vehicle was stopped at a red light when a southbound Toyota Corolla rear-ended it. After the impact the Dodge spun around and hit a nearby Ford F-250, which in turn hit a Ford Fusion. The Corolla also spun out and came to rest in a nearby restaurant parking lot.
The Corolla's passenger suffered serious injuries in the crash and was taken by ambulance to an area hospital. No other injuries were reported.
Investigators reportedly charged the Corolla driver with intoxication assault after the wreck.
The investigation continues. No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Car Accident on General McMullen Dr in San Antonio
If blood tests confirm the suspect was intoxicated as police believe, he may face some legal consequences for the damage done to his passenger. That's not really for me to remark upon, though, as it's between him and the state.
I consider it more relevant to talk about what can be done to help the victim. If intoxication really played a significant part in what happened then it's important he know about Texas dram shop law and how it might help him.
Dram shop law basically says that an alcohol provider who over-serves an obviously intoxicated person may be liable for injuries their customer causes while under the influence. That means bars, restaurants, liquor stores, and other establishments can be held legally accountable when they keep selling drinks to customers who then hurt someone in accidents like the one above.
It's unclear whether a bar was even involved in the San Antonio crash, let alone whether it over-served the suspect. However, that's an important detail to work out during the investigation. Unfortunately police rarely have the time or resources to hunt down negligent businesses, so it's often better to have independent investigators look into that rather than waiting for authorities to do it.
No matter who does the looking, though, the sooner someone investigates what led to the crash the sooner there can be some useful answers. Any further steps would largely depend on what those answers turn out to be.
