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Once every nine hours and six minutes, someone in the state of Texas dies as a result of a drunk driving crash. In the most recent year for which statistics are available, the Texas Department of Transportation reported 963 people were killed, and 2,114 were seriously injured in entirely preventable alcohol-related accidents.
In recent months, a jury decided to award the largest-ever personal injury verdict in the country’s history to a Texas family grieving the loss of two family members who were killed in a drunk driving wreck. The astonishing award is reportedly meant to serve as a public warning about the dangers of DUI.
On November 12, 2017, Tamra Kay Kindred and her granddaughter, 16-year-old Aujuni Tamay Anderson, were driving home when they were struck by a drunk driver running a red light at a Corpus Christi intersection. Toxicology reports later showed Joshua Delbosque, the driver of the other vehicle, had been driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .263, several times higher than the legal limit.
Kindred and Anderson were both fatally injured in the crash, as was Delbosque. In 2018, Kindred and Anderson’s family filed a civil complaint against Beer Belly’s Sports Bar and its owner, alleging they overserved Delbosque, thereby causing the drunk driving accident. Under Texas’ dram shop law, alcohol providers can be held responsible for damages caused by patrons if they sell alcohol to “obviously intoxicated” individuals who could present a danger to themselves or others.
The family’s complaint claims that Beer Belly’s “knew or should have known” that Delbosque was dangerously drunk and should not have served him alcohol. The complaint also states that Delbosque’s intoxication was a direct contributing factor in the fatal crash.
Following a brief trial in December of 2021, a Texas jury awarded Kindred and Anderson’s family more than $301 billion for their losses, which is reportedly the highest personal injury verdict ever in U.S. history.
Unfortunately, the family is unlikely to ever receive any of the $301 billion from Beer Belly’s or its owner. The bar is permanently closed, and the former owner does not have enough money to pay the award. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission says the bar’s liquor license expired in September 2019 and has been canceled.
Instead, the verdict is largely symbolic. The intent was to remind Corpus Christi and other Texas communities of the often-tragic consequences of drunk driving.
The family’s lawyers say they mean to pursue “some sort of compensation” for Kindred and Anderson’s loved ones. They also hope their efforts will inspire the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to begin requiring alcohol providers to carry insurance.
If you or someone close to you was injured or killed in a Texas drunk driving accident, you need help from a dedicated car accident lawyer who can demand the compensation you deserve. At the Law Offices of Michael J. Gopin, PLLC, our trusted legal team has more than 30 years of combined legal experience. We’re not afraid to stand up for our client’s rights and hold drunk drivers accountable. Contact us today to learn more about your legal options in a free initial consultation.
Michael J. Gopin has practiced law in El Paso since 1987. Even after more than 30 years, he still remembers his first jury case. It was two weeks after receiving his license, when he represented a person whose life had been forever changed after being blinded in a work-related incident...
We are experienced El Paso personal injury lawyers. Give us a call and you’ll be taken care of! (915) 333-3333
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