On July 29, a fiery accident near Bastrop involving four vehicles resulted in a fatality, according to the Department of Public Safety. Officials charged a 28-year-old woman with intoxication manslaughter in connection with the incident.
Reportedly, a pickup truck was stopped near the intersection of FM 1209 and Texas 71 when the 28-year-old woman’s pickup truck rear-ended it. DPS officials stated that both vehicles were engulfed in flames following the crash. In addition, two tractor-trailers became involved in the wreck after the initial crash.
Officials pronounced the driver of the first pickup truck dead at the scene. Three other people involved in the accident suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to University Medical Center Brackenridge for treatment, according to DPS officials.
According to DPS, the 28-year-old woman had been drinking the day of the incident and was driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. Officials booked her into the Bastrop County Jail on intoxication manslaughter charges.
Families who lose a loved one to a drunk-driving accident may suffer from devastation that extends beyond grief and emotional anguish. In many cases, the financial stress that accompanies such a sudden and unforeseen death can take a significant toll on the bereaved families. Funeral costs, the expenses tied to the decedent’s estate administration and the loss of a paycheck coming into the family household might cripple a family’s financial health for months or even years.
Yet, these families may be eligible to pursue financial compensation in civil court if they can demonstrate a causal link between the fatal accident and another party’s actionable behavior, such as recklessness or negligence. By retaining a wrongful death attorney and filing suit against the at-fault party, certain family members of the deceased victim may seek restitution for the economic damages they suffered in connection with the fatal incident.
Source: Statesman , “Woman charged in fatal Bastrop wreck”, Nicole Chavez and Philip Jankowski, July 29, 2014
