A Texas man was charged with intoxication manslaughter after allegedly causing a car accident that left one person dead. The head-on collision happened in Conroe on FM 3083 on March 22 when the 34-year-old man was driving a Ford Freestar van and heading westbound at 7:53 a.m. Witnesses say that he veered across the centerline and struck an eastbound Ford Focus. According to the Conroe Police Department, the driver of the Focus attempted to stop and veer to the outside of her lane, but the front left side of the van still hit the front left side of her car.
After the collision, both vehicles left the side of the road. The 66-year-old driver of the Focus was declared to be critically injured at the scene by an EMS supervisor. She was transported to Conroe Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead. The driver of the van underwent a voluntary blood draw at the same hospital, and the preliminary results indicated possible intoxication.
A Conroe Police Department sergeant said people can become intoxicated through the use of drugs and medication, among other substances, in addition to alcohol. The driver of the van was charged with intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle and taken to the Montgomery County Jail. The body of the deceased woman was ordered to be transported to the Montgomery County Forensic Center for autopsy.
The comment made by the sergeant might be an indication that the driver was alleged to have been intoxicated by something other than alcohol. If a person is charged with intoxication manslaughter, it could be used as evidence of negligence if a wrongful death complaint is filed the family of the deceased person.
Source: Your Houston News, “ Woman killed after head-on collision on 3083“, March 23, 2014
