Ruth Guerrero Injured in Alleged Drunk Driver Accident in Crowley, TX
Crowley, TX — October 22, 2023, Ruth Guerrero was injured following an alleged drunk driver accident that happened around 4:30 a.m. on F.M. 1187.
Preliminary information about the accident says that it took place at the intersection of Farm-to-Market 1187 and South Crowley Road, just north of the Tarrant County and Johnson County.
According to officials, 58-year-old Ruth Guerrero was a passenger in a Chevy Equinox said to be going eastbound on F.M. 1187. While crossing Crowley Road, authorities allege that a northbound Chevy Silverado ran the light, crashing into the vehicle Guerrero was in.
Due to this collision, Guerrero was taken from the scene with what were described as incapacitating injuries. It's unclear if there were any other injuries.
On top of claiming that the pickup driver admitted to running the light, authorities also allege that driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, and they recommended a charge for intoxication assault. If those charges end up being officially filed, it makes me wonder if there will be any other serious charges to follow here.
What makes something like intoxication assault unique is that it suggests authorities believe there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that intoxication was the proximate cause of someone's injuries. That means of all the mistakes contributing to a crash, authorities believe intoxication was the most serious in terms of what harmed the victims.
Where something like reckless driving, for example, might not lead to any action beyond charging the suspect driver, charges related to drunk driving can extend to local alcohol providers if authorities find they illegally over-served that driver.
For example, most any time I've sued a bar for contributing to a personal injury accident (which also involves alcohol being the proximate cause of someone's injuries), authorities are looking at the same evidence so they can file any appropriate charges against the servers and pass along evidence to the TABC, show may decide to issue fines or other penalties on the business itself.
I certainly can't say what all happened here or what authorities may still be cooking up behind the scenes in terms of who all is going to face consequences. That will depend on what the evidence says was the cause of this accident. What I can say from experience, however, is that it's unlikely a surface-level investigation would be enough to fully address the possible factors that may have contributed to this crash.
