Adult, Child Injured in Wrong-Way Crash on North Freeway in Harris County, TX
Harris County, TX — November 26, 2022, an adult and a child were seriously injured in a traffic accident on the North Freeway in Harris County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 2:10 a.m. along the freeway near Cypress Preserve. Preliminary investigation suggests a Dodge Charger was headed south in the road's northbound lanes, against traffic, when it approached a northbound Ford F-150. The Dodge hit the front-left of the pickup, causing it to spin out. As it rotated it was hit on its passenger side by a Toyota Scion that was traveling north behind hit.
The Dodge driver and a 5-year-old in the Ford were both seriously injured in the crash. The Ford driver and the Toyota's four occupants received possible injuries.
Hospital staff advised police that the wrong-way driver had an approximate BAC of .188. Officers drew blood for further testing as part of a DWI investigation.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Harris County Wrong-Way Crash on North Fwy
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 suspect will be charged accordingly. That part is important, of course, since DWI drivers put themselves and others at risk and should face serious consequences for their poor choices. However, I'd argue that everyone who played a part in hurting the victims should be held accountable. 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. In other words, the drunk driver may not be the only one legally accountable for a crash--the place that helped him get that way may also have consequences coming. Dram shop makes sure that law-breaking business learns an important lesson and also provides the people it hurts a way to seek much-needed help getting back on their feet.
Not every alcohol-related wreck involves a dram violation, and I'm not accusing any specific business of over-service before the North Freeway crash. The source of an alleged DWI driver's drinks is just an important detail to figure out, but unfortunately police rarely do so. It may be necessary to seek proof of that independently, but with the right help many folks have held bad bars properly accountable.
