In some cases, a car accident is not the fault of just one person. While it only takes one driver to cause a fatal accident, investigations sometimes reveal the negligence of another party contributed to the fatality. A Texas man has filed a lawsuit claiming that a bar over-served a man who subsequently caused a fatal accident.
According to a report, the man and his girlfriend, along with some other people, parked on the side of the road to help what looked like another driver who was in trouble. They found an abandoned car in a ditch and had not yet were returning to their vehicle when a pickup truck plowed into them. The girlfriend was thrown into the ditch and died from the trauma just days afterward. The boyfriend was also injured, though he was released from the hospital three weeks later.
The boyfriend recently filed a lawsuit against the bar that served the driver of the pickup truck. Video surveillance revealed the truck driver was staggering as he was trying to leave the bar before the accident, and he admitted to police he had consumed quite a bit of alcohol while he was there. The boyfriend contends the bartender knew how intoxicated the driver was but served him anyway.
A spokesperson for the bar claims the bartender has been fired for his actions, and police arrested him on liquor violation charges. The pickup truck driver was charged with intoxication assault, but the charge was upgraded to intoxication manslaughter after the girl died. The report did not specify whether the boyfriend was also pursuing a claim against the pickup truck driver and the bartender.
Filing a lawsuit after a serious or fatal accident may seem intimidating. There are a number of questions and concerns that an attorney can help to dispel. While the personal injury laws vary by state, an experienced attorney in Texas will help to determine which parties may bear financial responsibility for the circumstances presented.