The epidemic of DWIs in DFW is officially out of control
When a judge and police officer were disgracefully jailed last week for driving while intoxicated, you know that we have a crisis. How can people paid to enforce the law break it? Committing DWIs in DFW is outrageous for drivers plus being hypocritical when committed by those supposed to protect us from drunk drivers in the first place.
So what happened and why do we bring this to your attention?
1. Dallas County criminal district judge
Friday night, a judge
crashed into a light pole in the 13500 block of Midway Road around 11:00 p.m. She was arrested and taken to the Farmers Branch Police Department jail and released the next day on bond.
Criminal judges make life-changing decisions that can imprison people for the rest of their lives. Civil judges determine the amount of damages to be paid to victims of DWIs in DFW who are injured in auto and truck collisions.
The judge involved here has served for two years. Before then, she practiced as a criminal defense attorney. She obviously knew better.
2. Fort Worth Police Department lieutenant
On Tuesday afternoon
at 3:00 p.m., a lieutenant was arrested for driving while intoxicated
in front of an elementary school. He was spotted asleep behind the wheel of his police cruiser. And for some unexplained reason, there was a child in the back seat.
He is a high-ranking and experienced 14-year veteran with the FWPD. He clearly knew better.
3. Firefighter injured in wrong-way crash
As just one of thousands of examples of how serious DWIs in DFW are, early Sunday morning
an Irving firefighter suffered a traumatic brain injury when a drunk driver who was going the wrong way on State Highway 183 hit him. Aaron Donohue was working a five-vehicle collision caused by (guess who) a drunk driver in the closed-off westbound lanes.
The 23-year-old woman from Arlington had been driving the wrong way for miles on this busy highway. She said that she thought she was headed east towards Dallas. She continued to drive after nearly killing Mr. Donohue. It is truly a miracle that someone - or some people - did not die.
This crash has become an unfortunately routine collision in North Texas.
DWIs in DFW epidemic rage on
North Texas is always at the top of the list for these especially deadly crashes in our state. There were about 5,000 collisions last year in the four counties that make up the heart of the Metroplex. They tragically took the lives of 131 people.
Every one of these crashes was 100% preventable.
Wrong-way and hit-and-run crashes are often caused by intoxicated drivers. If they are caught, it is common for a
personal injury lawyer to investigate and learn they have no liability insurance or any way to pay for the (often enormous) damages they have caused.
What should be done
The illegal actions of these two are aberrations, since virtually every other judge and police officer is a hard-working, law-abiding professional who does a good job performing their duties.
This judge and lieutenant are entitled to a presumptions of innocence and trials.
Until then, we call on them to be suspended and even fired. If found guilty, they must be given the maximum punishment. Further, their sentences must be heavily publicized to serve as warnings to others who would violate already thinly-enforced DWI laws.
We understand that the pandemic is the #1 problem now. But the DWI crisis existed long before the virus began this winter and will keep surging after we hopefully can bring Covid-19 under control.
MADD was started by a mother
40 years ago after her teen-aged daughter was killed in a drunk driving crash and its work is more urgent now than ever.
We must take action to prevent the driving public from the never-ending saga of DWIs in DFW. The fact that a district judge and police official think nothing of violating the law is alarming.
OK, we already know about the countless celebrities like Justin Bieber, Kevin Hart, and Keanu Reeves, not to mention the high-profile sports figures like Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps, and Mike Tyson who have been charged with driving while intoxicated.
But when the public sees criminal laws being so flagrantly disregarded by the very people who take oaths to uphold them, this obviously sends the wrong message.
Trust in government and law enforcement is already badly eroded. Our country is still reeling from protests against the police and officials after one of the most turbulent years in our history. We expect and need the highest standard of conduct from our elected representatives, judges, and police officers. That is why this topic is so important.
We can help you
We are ready and able to investigate motor vehicle collisions, work with medical professionals, develop files, handle insurance claims, get medical bills and lost wages paid, answer all questions, and file lawsuits as necessary against reckless drivers - especially drunk ones.
Last week, we filed suit against an extremely drunk driver in Fort Worth who caused a man to die and another to be seriously injured.
Many of our clients have been injured by intoxicated (or stoned) drivers. And one woman was crashed into by
two drunk driver within the last year. Here is a photograph of her SUV
upside down on Interstate 20. We successfully obtained all insurance available from several policies in both of the cases.
If you have been injured by any negligent driver, call us at 1-885-801-8585 or
chat with us. There is no charge with the first consultation. We will guide you through what can be a complicated process and fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
Fort Worth Injury Attorney Blog
Our roads should be safer since fewer people are driving during the pandemic. But wrongful death numbers from car and truck wrecks have skyrocketed here. North Texas just endured another tragic weekend with six fatality wrecks reported. Most were caused by hit-and-run drivers.
And we have not even gotten to the Thanksgiving-New Years holiday period when alcohol-fueled collisions skyrocket every year.