Victoria Belman Injured in Auto Accident on US-281 in Erath County, TX
Erath County, TX — November 20, 2022, 53-year-old Victoria Belman was seriously injured in an auto accident on U.S. Highway 281 in Erath County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 8:00 p.m. on US-281 near County Road 185. Preliminary investigation suggests a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup was traveling south on the highway behind Belman's Chevy C1500. Belman reportedly slowed to make a left turn onto CR 185 and the Dodge driver failed to reduce speed; he veered left to avoid the Chevy but hit its back-left bumper. After the impact the Chevy overturned and came to rest upside-down. The Dodge slid off the road and hit a nearby chain-link fence.
Belman was seriously injured in the crash. Two children in the Chevy received minor injuries and the Dodge driver may have been hurt.
Investigators suspected that alcohol was a factor in the collision and took blood samples from the Dodge driver for testing.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Victoria Belman Accident in Erath County
If blood tests confirm alcohol was involved here as police believe (and as driving the wrong way on a highway would suggest), some may think that just means the alleged drunk driver will be charged accordingly. That's important, of course, since DWI drivers put themselves and others at risk and should face serious consequences. However, the same is true of everyone who played a part in hurting the victims. That's why it's important to talk about Texas dram shop law.
Under dram shop law, licensed alcohol providers who over-serve an obviously intoxicated person may be liable for injuries he causes while under the influence. Put another way, it's not always just a drunk driver who's legally accountable for a crash--it's also the place that helped him get that way. Dram shop makes sure that law-breaking business is held accountable and also provides the people it hurts a way to confront it in court.
Not every alcohol-related wreck involves a dram violation, and I'm not accusing any specific business of over-service. The source of an alleged DWI driver's drinks is just an important detail to work out, but unfortunately police rarely make it a priority. If an alcohol vendor may have contributed to the crash then it may be best to seek proof of that independently. With the right help and evidence, many folks have held bad bars accountable for the damage they helped cause.
