Telisa Dillard Injured in Auto Accident on K Avenue in Plano, TX
Plano, TX — January 1, 2023, 59-year-old Telisa Dillard was injured in an accident with a suspected drunk driver on K Avenue in Collin County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 10:45 p.m. on K Avenue at East Legacy Drive. Preliminary investigation suggests Dillard was driving a Volkswagen Passat south on K Avenue and was passing through the Legacy intersection with a green light. A northbound Ford F-150 reportedly turned left at the intersection with a flashing yellow arrow and crashed into the driver's side of the VW. The impact sent the car off-course and it spun into a nearby tree.
Dillard received serious injuries in the collision. The Ford driver was reportedly unhurt. Police belied he was under the influence of alcohol and collected blood samples for testing.
No further information is currently available.
Clearly the suggestion that someone was driving under the influence in Plano is troubling. If blood tests confirm those allegations then serious consequences seem fitting; drunk driving puts everyone at risk and those who do it deserve a tough lesson. However, they may not be the only ones: What about whoever provided the driver's alcohol?
Under Texas dram shop law, licensed alcohol vendors like bars and restaurants aren't allowed to continue serving a customer if they can tell that person is drunk. The law calls it being obviously intoxicated, and at that point a business is required to cut them off and refuse further sales or service. Unfortunately not every business takes that obligation seriously and keeps pouring regardless of their customers' state. When they do that and those customers hurt someone while excessively drunk, the bar may be liable for the damage done.
Only clear evidence could say if alcohol was involved in Plano, and until those blood tests can clear things up investigators should look into other possible explanations for the crash—simple impatience, vehicle malfunctions, medical emergencies, and any number of other non-alcoholic factors could have played parts. If the test results confirm police suspicions, though, then learning the source of the drinks is a crucial followup step. If a local bar should get its priorities in order and a drunk driving victim can get some help in the process, that seems like more than enough reason to take the needed steps.
