Pedestrian Injured by Jeep in Parking Lot off FM 1969 in Houston, TX
Houston, TX — July 1, 2022, a 25-year-old pedestrian was seriously injured by a vehicle on Farm to Market Road 1969 in Houston.
According to reports the incident happened around 2:45 a.m. on FM 1969 near Cutten Road. Preliminary investigation suggests a Jeep Grand Cherokee was in a shopping center parking lot off FM 1969 and started to back out of its parking space at the same time as a Ford F-250 next to it started reversing as well. The Jeep struck the Ford and then continued backing. It reversed into the victim who was walking behind the two vehicles in the lot.
The pedestrian suffered serious injuries in the collision and was taken to a hospital.
Investigators suspected the Jeep driver of possible impairment and collected blood samples for testing.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Pedestrian Accident off FM 1969 in Houston
If blood tests confirm alcohol was a factor as police suspect, some may think that really just means some related charges will be issued and the case will be closed. However, alcohol-related crashes in Texas are a little more complex than that. Under dram shop law, any business that sold or served the Jeep driver alcohol if she was obviously intoxicated did so illegally and may be legally responsible for the injuries she caused to the pedestrian.
Not every alcohol-related crash also involves a dram shop violation, but it's important to investigate that possibility further when drinking and injuries may be connected. The law punishes drunk drivers pretty harshly, and the places that get them overly drunk should be held accountable as well. Dram shop law serves the dual purpose of punishing negligent bars and also providing injured victims a way to seek much-needed help with the difficult road to recovery.
