According to the Texas Department of Transportation, alcohol-related crashes killed nearly 1,000 Texans last year alone. If your loved one died in a crash caused by a drunk driver, this number is much more than a mere statistic. Losing a loved one in a preventable car accident is devastating and overwhelming. Many surviving family members wonder what their legal options are in a situation like this. They ask, “How can I hold the guilty party responsible?” Individuals who have lost a loved one may bring a wrongful death claim or a survival action to seek justice and financial compensation.

Wrongful Death Claims in Texas

When someone dies because of another party’s illegal or negligent actions, the surviving loved ones have a right to pursue a claim against the at-fault party. In the case of a drunk driving accident, the at-fault driver may face criminal charges for intoxication manslaughter. While criminal charges may provide some degree of closure, criminal penalties do not offer restitution to the loved ones left behind.

If you drive northwest of downtown for about 25 miles, you’ll arrive in Cypress, an unincorporated community entirely within Houston’s city limits. The city-within-a-city is home to a bar that’s at the center of a personal injury lawsuit filed by a man who suffered serious injuries in a violent crash that also killed his girlfriend.

The lawsuit alleges that the World of Beer in Cypress over-served the driver who reportedly caused the deadly wreck. After the late-January crash, the driver apparently told law enforcement officers that he had consumed six beers and four shots at the bar before he climbed behind the wheel of his pick-up.

The suspected DWI/DUI driver is out on bail after his arrest on charges of charged with intoxication manslaughter and intoxicated assault. The lawsuit says the suspect not only drank at World of Beer, he was also an employee.