Fernando Aldaba Barrientos Killed in Car Accident in Valley View, TX

Cooke County, TX — March 2, 2024, Fernando Aldaba Barrientos was killed following a car accident at around 10:10 p.m. along I-35.

Authorities said in preliminary statements that the crash happened on northbound lanes of the interstate between Valley View and Gainesville.

According to officials, 34-year-old Fernando Aldaba Barrientos was a passenger in a Chevy pickup going along I-35. The driver reportedly went onto the shoulder to pass traffic in a construction zone. Doing so, the pickup lost control, then crashed along the median. Barrientos was fatally injured as a result. There were no other confirmed injuries. The driver of the vehicle Barrientos was riding in was recommended for a charge of intoxication manslaughter due to alcohol.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

While I want to be clear that I take all preliminary details with a grain of salt, it’s important to take any allegations of drunk driving seriously. That’s only more true when it takes someone’s life. The concern is that as authorities put all of their focus on drivers involved in these crashes, they might overlook an accomplice who also contributed to the crash: a local bar.

This late at night, most drunk driving accidents involve drivers who were over-served by a bar or a similar establishment. Simply put, those alcohol providers are breaking the law when they over-serve people, so they can be held accountable when their actions get people hurt or killed. While some think that shifts blame off of drunk drivers, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Think of it this way: if someone robs a bank and kills someone in the process, that obviously warrants severe consequences. Would their getaway driver be off the hook just because the person they drove did the more serious crime? Of course not. They’d also be responsible for their role in the crime. The same notion applies to bars and other providers who over-serve drivers whose intoxication then gets people hurt or killed. And that’s not just my personal feelings; that’s Texas law.