Jose Reyes, Rubi Chavez, Clarissa Valenzuela Injured in Car Accident in McAllen, TX
McAllen, TX -- December 17, 2022, Jose Reyes, Rubi Chavez, and Clarissa Valenzuela were injured in an accident possibly involving alcohol.
Details given by officials said that the crash happened at the intersection of Freddy Gonzalez Drive and North 10th Street at around 6:05 p.m. Investigators said that vehicles driven by 29-year-old Jose Reyes and 45-year-old Clarissa Valenzuela were both southbound on 10th at the time. While crossing Freddy Gonzalez, it appears a northbound BMW failed to yield, causing the vehicles to collide.
Reyes was said to have incapacitating injuries due to the crash. Valenzuela and a passenger in Reyes's vehicle, 28-year-old Rubi Chavez, had injuries described as non-incapacitating. Police said they believe that the BMW driver was under the influence of alcohol, but this cannot be confirmed without further information.
Drunk driving is a big problem in Texas, and if it proves to be the cause of this crash, it wouldn't at all be surprising. But what would be surprising is if it didn't also involve some local business who negligently contributed to the victims' injuries.
If that sounds odd to some folks, it's probably because authorities and even others in my profession rarely talk about dram shop and the importance of investigating where a driver got their alcohol. They're generally content to simply blame the drunk driver and move on. But if a bar or restaurant breaks the law and over-serves someone to the point they get people hurt, why should they get off scot-free? Should they get to continue business as usual while families are left to pick up the pieces?
I certainly don't think so, and neither does the law. That's why I try to inform the public as best I can that crashes like this are rarely as simple as they may seem. Further investigations here could show there are still responsible parties out there who need to be held accountable for sending three people to the hospital.
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