A backseat passenger was killed in an accident after a drunk driver slammed into the back of the car in which she was sitting. Police investigators reported that four people were riding in a Lexus on North Sam Houston Boulevard in Texas April 13 when the hood of the car popped open. The driver reportedly pulled over and turned on her flashers in order to secure the hood, which had been held down by a rope, with the help of one of the vehicle’s occupants. Two other passengers remained seated in the car.
The two people who were tying down the hood saw another vehicle approaching them and attempted to warn the driver that he was about to hit their car. They realized that he was not going to slow down and got out of the way. The vehicle slammed into the rear of the Lexus where the other two passengers were sitting. A 23-year-old woman was killed, and the second passenger was transported to the hospital for treatment. Officials reported that she was in serious but stable condition. The two people who managed to jump out of the way were not injured.
Law enforcement officials reported that the 19-year-old driver of the second vehicle was intoxicated. He was arrested at the scene and charged with intoxicated assault with a vehicle and intoxicated manslaughter with a vehicle. That driver was not reported as injured.
The family of the deceased victim might have the option of filing a wrongful death claim, citing the driver’s alleged intoxicated state as the basis of the case if the evidence confirms it. The family might suffer from the added burden of medical costs that were incurred prior to the victim’s death, funeral expenses and lost wages that resulted from her death, but a successful wrongful death claim might help them recoup all of these costs.
