Reva Garza Killed, 2 Injured in Alleged DWI Accident in New Braunfels, TX
New Braunfels, TX -- March 16, 2023, Reva Garza was killed and two were injured following an accident allegedly involving intoxication.
Authorities said that the incident happened at around 1:45 a.m. along FM 306 near Hunter Road. Initial details say that 41-year-old Reva Garza was in a white Dodge Ram traveling northbound on FM 306. From oncoming lanes, authorities say a black Dodge Ram collided with Garza's vehicle.
Due to the collision, Garza sustained fatal injuries. Two others were injured. The driver of the black Dodge Ram was arrested for allegations of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury. Right now, additional details are pending further investigations.
It's just infuriating how often we here in Texas have to read headlines like this. It's obviously the right step forward to ensure an allegedly intoxicated driver gets their day in court, and authorities seem to be taking those steps. But is that all there is to this?
Any fatal crash like this is awful to read about, but it's only more troubling as another event in a long history of issues that our state has with intoxicated driving. I often see people in the public saying there needs to be more Texans can do to fight back against this pervasive problem. That's why I try to bring attention to crashes like this one as an opportunity to help folks understand that there are other avenues. It's just a matter of ensuring the right people are taking steps to explore those avenues.
For example, authorities have not said if this incident involved alcohol or drugs, but that is an important distinction to make. Accidents like this one are often the result not only of a reckless driver's actions but also the actions of reckless alcohol providers. Why is this?
In Texas, it's illegal to over-serve someone who is obviously intoxicated. A business that does so can have their license suspended, face fines, have individual employees charged, or open themselves to liability for the harm those drunk drivers caused under dram shop law. A recent example some may have seen in the news is video from an establishment that allegedly over-served a man said to be responsible for killing a Euless police detective. Venues often get attention during high profile accidents like that, but there are incidents like that all the time the public never gets to hear about. That's why these legal avenues are so important to know about. These potential consequences can help to ensure negligent businesses clean up their act before their actions harm more people.
Unfortunately, I feel others in my profession as well as authorities and local officials rarely ever discuss these important possible avenues. Outside of places like Harris County, I rarely see anyone talk about things like TABC investigations or servers being held accountable. Maybe that isn't what happened here, but failing to consider it would be an injustice to the family and victims involved. They deserve to know there will be accountability for what happened to them. Perhaps that will be a single reckless driver getting their day in court, or maybe it could also be a local business getting a major wake up call. Either way, there is likely a lot more to this story, and I hope steps are being taken to ensure all the facts come to light.
[jump]
