A mother and her two children were killed recently by a driver driving the wrong way in Kilgore, Texas. The driver may have been intoxicated at the time, and had previously been convicted of anther DWI.
The crash occurred early in the morning, on Loop 259 near Dudley Road. Police officers responding to a 911 call found the children, a five year old and a 12 year old, dead and their 43-year-old mother unconscious. Their father, who had been driving, was conscious, but dazed. The mother later died after being taken to a local hospital.
The Department of Public Safety determined that the series of events that led to the crash began when an oil field truck driven by 22-year-old Shelby Taylor was traveling southbound in the northbound lane near Gregg and Rusk County when it crashed into the victims’ van. The father attempted to swerve out of the way, but was unable to avoid the truck in time. It was unclear whether the mother and children were not wearing seat belts at the time, and had been sleeping in the back of the van.
Taylor was taken to the local hospital as well, along with her 21-year-old passenger. State police officers issued a DWI search warrant for her blood, and she was later charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter and booked into the Rusk County Jail on a bond of more than $500,000. Taylor has had previous troubles with the law, including two assaults causing bodily injury in February and October 2010, a building burglary in 2011, and another DWI in 2013. Taylor initially faced a revocation charge stemming from the 2013 DWI, in which she was out on bond for multiple charges, but the judge ruled against revocation. Taylor could now potentially be released if a bond is posted, though it is highly doubtful that anyone Taylor knows would be able to post it.
The accident is a disturbing reminder of the fact that Texas leads the nation in deadly car accidents. More emphasis needs to be placed on driver awareness, that each driver has a duty to his or her fellow passengers and to other drivers on the road to operate a vehicle with reasonable care. Driving while intoxicated, especially when it is not a first offense, is a serious breach of that duty. If a passenger or other driver is injured in an accident as a result of the breach, he or she has the right to file a personal injury lawsuit against the offending driver. The driver might then owe thousands of dollars in medical bills and other compensation on top of whatever criminal penalties he or she faces.
If you or a loved one has suffered due to an injury in a vehicle accident caused by another driver, you may be entitled to compensation, including medical expenses, loss of wages, and pain and suffering. The experienced San Antonio personal injury attorneys at Carabin Shaw may be able to help. Call our office for more information at 1-800-862-1260.
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