Texas Injury Law Blog : Dallas Accident Lawyer & Attorney : Fears Nachawati Law Firm : Personal Injury, Wrongful Death : Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Texas

The family of a Fort Worth, Texas, woman killed last December in a car accident involving an intoxicated, off-duty Fort Worth police officer has filed a lawsuit against the bar that allegedly served alcohol to the officer.

The lawsuit has been filed under the Texas Dram Shop Act, which is a law that enables victims and victims’ families to hold an establishment legally liable for damages that arise when the establishment sells alcohol to an obviously intoxicated person.

Named as defendants in the drunk driving car accident lawsuit are the Pour House, bar owner Eric Tschetter and Pueri Inc., a related business entity.  Cisneros and the city of Fort Worth are not listed as defendants.

According to the lawsuit, the Pour House continued to serve alcohol to Jesus Cisneros – the off-duty Fort Worth police officer – to the point where Cisneros became “dangerously inebriated.” Afterward, the bar allowed Cisneros to “stagger out” and drive away from the establishment in a city vehicle.

Cisneros left the premises of the Pour House at around 2:25 a.m. Accident report states that Cisneros was driving at 70 mph in a 35 mph zone. Cisneros then struck a PT Cruiser being driven by victim Sonia Baker. Baker, 27, was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident took place on December 11^th near Baker’s Fort Worth home.

After the accident, Cisneros was taken to a hospital for blood tests. The results of those tests indicated that Cisneros’ blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

Last month, 37-year-old Cisneros was charged with intoxication manslaughter. He remains free on bail. Cisneros resigned from his position in late December.

For more on this drunk driving car accident lawsuit, click here for the full article.

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A Texas couple has filed a personal injury lawsuit after allegedly being injured in a drunk driving car accident.

The plaintiffs, William and Dora Bennett, filed their Texas personal injury lawsuit against both James Bates, the alleged drunk driver, and Avis Rent-a-Car, the company that rented Bates the car that he was driving when the accident occurred.

According to their complaint, Bates struck the car in which the Bennetts were riding. Bates, at the time, was driving a vehicle he rented from Avis.

In their Texas personal injury lawsuit, the Bennetts claim that they suffered a variety of damages, including mental anguish, disability, disfigurement and physical pain as well as lost earnings and medical expenses.

The Bennetts blame Bates for causing the car accident, claiming he failed to timely apply his brakes, failed to drive in a reasonable manner, failed to keep a proper lookout and failed to obey traffic laws. In addition, the lawsuit places the blame on Bates for having driven under the influence of alcohol and driving while intoxicated.

As for their claim against Avis, the Bennetts maintain that the company should not have rented a vehicle to Bates because they knew he was a dangerous and unsafe driver.

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A jury has awarded $23.5 million to a Texas woman who was paralyzed in a drunk driving accident.

Two years ago, 23-year-old Jackie Murphree was in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. Murphree was left paralyzed and with brain damage. Murphree can no longer talk, walk or feed herself as a result of the accident.

The drunk driver was Betty Monroe, who the jury found to be 70% liable for the car accident. Monroe was on her way home after a night of drinking when her car drifted into a section of Highway 380 that was currently closed for construction, broadsiding Murphree.

In addition to Monroe, the jury also found the Texas Department of Transportation and a construction company called Site Concrete partly responsible.

According to the jury, more safety precautions, such as barricades, barrels and markers, should have been in place to prevent Monroe from driving onto the closed pavement.

To read more on this Texas drunk driving lawsuit, click here for the full article.

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This Sunday the New Orleans Saints will square off against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. As football aficionados in Texas prepare for the big game, Fears | Nachawati joins the NFL and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in reminding Super Bowl partygoers that fans don’t let fans drive drunk.

Super Bowl Sunday is one of the most fun and exciting days of the years for sports fans, but sadly, it’s also one of the most dangerous days on our nation’s roadways due to drunk drivers.

During the 2004 Super Bowl weekend, 158 people were killed by drunk drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher, according to the NHTSA.

Drunk driving fatalities are preventable tragedies. If you plan to host a Super Bowl party, do your part to keep the roads safe with these tips from the NHTSA:

• Before the festivities get underway, make sure that every guest who plans to drink has a designated sober driver.
• Offer plenty of non-alcoholic beverage selections.
• Serve lots of food.
• Stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter.
• Have numbers for local cab companies on hand.
• Take the keys away from any guest who is thinking of driving while impaired.

These are simple steps that everyone can take to ensure that a celebration doesn’t end in tragedy. Put designating a sober driver at the top of your Super Bowl party to-do list!

Fears | Nachawati encourages you to enjoy the game responsibly. If you plan to drink, give your keys to a sober driver before the game begins.

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A 27-year-old woman was killed when her car collided with an unmarked police vehicle driven by an off-duty Fort Worth police officer. An investigation is underway to determine if the officer was driving under the influence of alcohol when the accident occurred.

The officer, Jesus Cisneros, was traveling west on Columbus Trail early Friday morning when a Chrysler PT Cruiser traveling south on Evening Start Drive attempted to turn in front of his vehicle. Cisneros’s Toyota Highlander then collided with the PT Cruiser.

The woman driving the PT Cruiser, Sonia Baker of Fort Worth, was pronounced dead at the scene. Baker was a wife and the mother of two young boys.

Cisneros was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in serious condition. There it was determined that Cisneros may have consumed alcohol prior to the accident. The results of the blood test, however, have not yet been returned.

A press release issued by the Fort Worth Police Department states that Cisneros faces charges of driving while intoxicated – and possibly even intoxication manslaughter – if the test shows that he had a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher.

Click here to read more about this Texas car accident.

If you or someone you love has been injured by a drunk driver, contact Fears | Nachawati for free legal advice. To speak with a Texas personal injury lawyer, simply phone us toll free at 1.866.705.7584 or email us.

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Police have arrested the driver of a car involved in a deadly accident early Saturday in Euless, Texas.

According to Euless police, the driver, 32-year-old Cody Worrell, hit a tree with his 2007 BMW at a high speed. He then smashed into a concrete wall. The accident took place at around 2:15 a.m. in the 1200 block of Bear Creek Parkway.

The passenger, a 32-year-old man, was trapped in the car. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Worrell has been charged with intoxication manslaughter and is being held in Euless jail.

To read more about this Texas car accident, click here for the complete article.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident, contact the personal injury lawyers of Fears | Nachawati today. To receive free legal advice from a Texas personal injury attorney, simply email us or phone us toll free at 1.866.705.7584.

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A 39-year-old man traveling the wrong way on the Dallas North Tollway this morning is facing criminal charges.

The driver, a man named Dick Eastin, was driving north in a southbound lane in a Ford F-150 pickup. Eastin struck a light pole, coming to a stop near the center median. He sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Debris from the accident caused damage to a second vehicle on the Tollway. The accident caused the southbound side of the Tollway to be closed for over an hour.

Eastin is facing charges of reckless driving and driving while intoxicated.

Wrong-way drivers on the Dallas North Tollway have caused several deaths this year, prompting the North Texas Tollway Authority to take steps to prevent further accidents.

To read more about this Texas car accident, click here for the complete article.

If you have been injured by a drunk driver, contact Fears | Nachawati today for free advice about your legal options. To speak with a Texas car accident attorney, email Fears | Nachawati at info@fnlawfirm.com or call our toll-free number at 1.866.705.7584.

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