Bettie Brown Killed in Alleged Drunk Driver Accident on Lancaster Rd. in Dallas, TX
Dallas, TX — March 13, 2025, Bettie Joyce Brown was killed in an alleged drunk driver accident before 3:30 p.m. on State Highway 342 (Lancaster Road).
According to authorities, 85-year-old Bettie Brown was traveling in a northeast bound Cadillac Deville on South Lancaster Road in the vicinity of the Crouch Road intersection when the accident took place.
Reports state that a collision took place between the left side of the Cadillac and the front-end of a southeast bound Nissan Altima occupied by a 45-year-old man who was allegedly under the influence of alcohol at the time. Brown reportedly suffered fatal injuries over the course of the accident. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When a crash involves someone allegedly under the influence of alcohol, and a person loses their life as a result, the most urgent question becomes: how did that driver end up in a position to cause harm in the first place?
Many people assume that once alcohol is identified as a factor, the investigation has done its job. But in my experience, that’s often just the beginning. It’s critical to look beyond the crash itself and ask where the driver was drinking—and whether someone continued serving them after they were clearly intoxicated.
Under Texas law, it’s illegal for alcohol providers to serve someone who is obviously intoxicated. When they do, and that person goes on to cause a fatal crash, the provider may share legal responsibility under the state’s dram shop laws. These laws are designed not only to hold wrongdoers accountable, but also to protect the public from the consequences of irresponsible alcohol service.
In my experience, overservice isn’t subtle. It’s not one drink too many—it’s several. By the time someone is obviously intoxicated, there are visible signs that any responsible provider should recognize. Yet in too many cases, the drinks keep coming anyway.
Unfortunately, that part of the story is often left unexplored. Whether due to time constraints, limited resources, or simply a lack of awareness, few investigations take the necessary step of identifying the alcohol provider. But that oversight comes at a cost—not just to the families affected, but to public safety more broadly.
From where I sit, families affected by a crash like this deserve the full story. Figuring out where the driver was drinking is one of the most important steps we can take to help them get answers—and to ensure real accountability.
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