Ayokunle Osagbami Injured in Alleged Drunk Driver Accident in Washington County, TX
Washington County, TX — October 19, 2023, Ayokunle Osagbami was injured following an alleged drunk driver accident at around 7:33 p.m. on U.S. 290.
Authorities said in preliminary statements that the crash happened at the intersection of U.S. Highway 290 and Century Farms Road.
According to officials, 45-year-old Ayokunle Osagbami was in an Acura SUV going eastbound along the highway. It appears that a vehicle going northbound on Century Farms failed to yield to Osagbami, resulting in the two vehicles colliding.
Osagbami had incapacitating injuries due to the crash, authorities said. The other driver's injuries were non-incapacitating. Authorities allege that the driver who failed to yield was also under the influence of alcohol at the time, and they recommended charges for intoxication assault.
While the charges aren't officially confirmed right now, it's no surprise when authorities seek charges against someone doing something as reckless as driving drunk—especially when someone gets hurt. But what would surprise me is if the local authorities in this rural area had resources to investigate both the driver's actions and any potential business that may have illegally over-served that driver.
When I get personal injury cases against bars down in Houston, for example, local authorities are usually pursuing a parallel criminal case against the servers of those bars. Harris County has gone to great lengths over the years to assist the TABC in finding these negligent businesses and ensuring their employees and ownership face appropriate consequences. Other counties, however (even large ones like Travis and Dallas), still lag behind in that regard.
If authorities aren't looking into such possibilities, and there's no independent investigation to bring it to their attention, negligent alcohol providers can easily slip through the cracks. Whatever department is handling this crash might be able to take the extra steps to handle something so complex, but I certainly wouldn't take that for granted.
