Mayra Espinoza Parra, Maria Gloria Vega Injured in Van Accident in Travis County, TX
Travis County, TX -- July 16, 2022, Mayra Espinoza Parra and Maria Vega were injured due to an accident where a van crashed into traffic.
Investigators reported that the crash took place at around 9:05 p.m. along US 183 off FM 973.
According to officials, 26-year-old Mayra Parra was in a Honda Accord on southbound lanes of the highway. While waiting to turn onto FM 973, a Chevy van crashed into the back of Parra's vehicle, also hitting a Ford Expedition.
Due to the crash, Parra had incapacitating injuries while a passenger in the Ford, identified as 38-year-old Maria Gloria Vega, had non-incapacitating injuries. Police said that the van driver fled the scene on foot and may have been drinking, but this remains unconfirmed.
Commentary on Mayra Espinoza Parra, Maria Vega Van Accident in Travis County
There's a lot to unpack here, and obviously accusations of a hit and run and potentially drunk driving call for serious consequences if those accusations are proven to be true. But two things concern me which authorities may not be addressing here.
One concern is that if alcohol was a factor here, that could involve the complex legal avenue of dram shop law. Basically, the law says bars and other venues can be liable for contributing to an accident if they illegally over-served the person whose intoxication caused the accident. Is that something authorities have looked into?
The other concern I have is regarding the van involved in the crash. This is often used as a work vehicle. That may not be the case here, but if it is, is there an employer involved that should have seen something like this coming? If a company knows they have a dangerous driver or if they are aware someone is drinking on the job, they can face severe consequences because it's obvious that would eventually lead to an accident.
Right now, there just isn't enough information for me to say what all happened here. However, what little information is available raises enough red flags that anything less than an exhaustive investigation from experienced professionals wouldn't likely be enough.
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