Spotlight on Drunk Driving
Alcohol related car accidents are a part of my job as a personal injury lawyer in Fort Worth. I’ve practiced PI law for more than 20 years and during that time some of the most devastating cases I’ve taken have been caused by a drunk driver.
April is National Alcohol Awareness Month. I know, I know – there’s a “National Awareness Month” for everything. But take a look at the havoc alcohol has caused on our North Texas roads in the last few weeks:
• March 24, 2011 – a drunk driver pulled out in front of an 18-wheeler on an Interstate 20 ramp in Fort Worth. The truck careened over the retainer wall and dangled at 100 feet for an hour until crews could rig a harness to rescue the truck driver. Luckily everyone survived the accident, but morning traffic was piled up for hours because of the shutdown ramp.
• March 28, 2011 – a drunk driver headed the wrong way on Interstate 30 in east Fort Worth slammed into a full tanker truck, causing a huge explosion that shut down I30 for hours and killed the innocent truck driver. Due to the damage caused by the explosion, parts of I30 will be shut down for repairs until at least July and traffic continues to be a problem near the accident scene. Did I mention the repairs to the bridge will cost $700,000? Louis Nieves, the drunk driver that caused the wreck, walked away from the accident with just a few scratches.
• April 10, 2011 – Fort Worth Stockyard legend, Randy Rostetter, was killed by a suspected drunk driver. Randy had been a fixture in the Stockyards greeting guests and taking pictures with his steer, Lone Star, for more than 20 years.
People die in alcohol related car accidents every week in Fort Worth, this is just a small sampling of that. Drunk drivers affect us all – don’t be one of them.
