Thomas Matthew Reyes Injured in Car Accident in Ozona, TX
Crockett County, TX — October 22, 2023, Thomas Matthew Reyes was injured following a car accident at around 2:50 a.m. along Highway 163/Avenue E.
According to officials, the incident happened at the intersection of Highway 163 and 14th Street, ending in a gas station lot on the northeast corner.
Officials reported that 23-year-old Thomas Matthew Reyes was in a Chevy Colorado going northbound on the highway. Approaching 14th Street, the vehicle somehow went off the right side of the road, crossed over 14th Street, and ran off-road into a gas pump.
As a result of the accident, Reyes reportedly sustained incapacitating injuries. Authorities did not release any additional details about the crash which can be confirmed at this time. However, authorities did mention alcohol as an alleged contributing factor. Just to be clear, I don't bring this up to drag anyone's name through the mud. On the contrary, I see authorities talking a lot about their investigations into the driver (which is an important part of any crash investigation), but I don't see them talking about any other possible contributing factors. For example, are they at all investigating if a local alcohol provider illegally over-served the driver and contributed to the accident?
Given how rarely it's discussed in the public eye, I can understand that some folks reading this aren't aware that alcohol providers can get in trouble following a crash like this. Put simply, if an establishment illegally over-serves someone, and that person gets themselves or someone else hurt, it can open the business up to potential criminal charges, liability for the resulting injuries, fines, and even suspension of their liquor license by the TABC.
What bothers me that a lot of police departments don't address these possibilities despite how often alcohol-related crashes involve alcohol providers breaking the law. They're quick to condemn the drivers, but they're nowhere to be found when it comes to the businesses that broke the law and over-served those very same drivers.
Like I said, I can't confirm what role, if any, alcohol played here nor whether or not there's an alcohol provider who contributed to the crash. Any potential wrongdoing is for the criminal courts to work out between them and the accused. To that end, though, I see authorities saying a lot about the injured driver's alleged actions and not much about any steps they've taken to investigate this crash properly. Are they really telling the whole story here?
