Christmas Eve crash kills 1, injures 2

Law enforcement officials in Harris County took a man into custody in relation to a fatal accident involving two vehicles in Houston. Officials suspect that the man, 31, was impaired and running a red light when he caused the accident.

According to Houston police, the 31-year-old man was driving a Chevrolet Aveo at high speeds when he ran a traffic signal at an East Crosstimbers intersection and hit a Ford van containing two individuals. The impact of the collision caused the van to flip and the Chevrolet’s two occupants, including the 31-year-old driver, to be thrown out of the vehicle. The ejected female passenger, 47, suffered mortal injuries and died in the hospital. The two individuals occupying the Ford van were taken to the hospital with injuries that officials did not believe to be life-threatening.

Police took the 31-year-old driver into custody on charges of intoxicated assault. The man reportedly has a record with convictions for DWI and offenses related to drugs, theft, weapons and assault.

DWI convictions in Texas often bring with them a number of harsh penalties, including a loss of driver privileges and incarceration. In addition and despite those penalties, offenders who had been driving impaired during a crash that resulted in death or injuries may be named as a defendant in civil lawsuits.

When motorists are injured in car accidents caused by impaired driving or any other form of civil negligence, they may work with an attorney to file a personal injury claim against the parties who contributed to the incident. In this way, they may seek financial compensation for damages suffered. Source: KHOU,”Man charged in Christmas Eve crash that killed woman,” Dec. 26, 2014

Source: Houston Chronicle , “Suspected drunk driver arrested in crash that left passenger dead“, Craig Hlavaty , December 26, 2014