Smith County, TX — October 15, 2025, Brandi Carter was killed in an alleged drunk driver accident at about 7:35 a.m. on F.M. 2015 west of Winona.

Authorities said a northbound vehicle allegedly crossed into oncoming traffic north of County Road 345, hitting another vehicle.

The driver of the southbound vehicle, 35-year-old Tyler resident Brandi Carter, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to authorities.

The driver of the northbound vehicle was arrested after investigators determined he was intoxicated, authorities said. He was jailed on a charge of intoxication manslaughter.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Smith County crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary

When I read about incidents like this one, what stands out to me isn’t just what happened, but what’s missing from the conversation. A woman lost her life in a crash where the other driver is reportedly facing an intoxication manslaughter charge. That detail will likely, and understandably lead most people to focus on the driver’s alleged actions. But it also raises another critical question that often goes unasked: Where did the alcohol come from, and who served it?

One of the most important but often overlooked questions in cases like this is whether an alcohol provider may have played a part by serving the driver past the point of obvious intoxication. In Texas, our dram shop laws were created to hold alcohol providers accountable in exactly those situations. If someone was visibly intoxicated and still continued to be served alcohol, the law allows those affected by the resulting harm to explore whether that bar, restaurant or other provider shares in the responsibility.

It’s not always obvious, but there may be more to this story than people realize. Accountability doesn’t stop at the individual behind the wheel. When an establishment chooses to serve someone who’s clearly had too much, the consequences can be far-reaching, especially for families who now find themselves asking why this happened.

Three key things to keep in mind:

1. Dram shop law exists to hold alcohol providers accountable when they overserve someone who goes on to cause serious harm.
2. Full investigations should explore where the driver was drinking and whether signs of intoxication were ignored by those who served them.
3. Legal remedies may be available to victims’ families, even if they’ve never heard of dram shop liability before.