A recent tragedy occurred on a Texas roadway when two travelers got out of their vehicle to change a tire. They were on the side of an exit ramp and were working on the tire when the unthinkable happened. A passing motorist struck them and drove away from the scene.
Police who responded to the collision say they later located the man who had been driving the car that struck the two people. The victims, a man and a woman, suffered life-threatening injuries and were transported to a nearby. Thankfully, their conditions were updated as stable.
Police say they arrested the man who had been behind the wheel of the car. The 36-year-old is facing charges for intoxication assault with a motor vehicle. When accident victims suffer life-threatening injuries, the first few days and weeks that follow the incident are of critical importance because conditions may change without warning.
Even a person who has achieved a stable condition can take a turn for the worse at any time, though that will hopefully not be the case with respect to the accident victims in this tragedy. When criminal charges are filed against a suspected drunk driver who has caused a collision resulting in injury to others, recovering victims will likely pay close attention to the proceedings. In their own right, they are entitled to pursue claims for monetary damages in civil court, and any criminal conviction may help them establish negligence per se in a lawsuit arising out of the same accident.