Pleasanton, TX — June 22, 2025, Joel Cherry Jr. and another person were injured in a possible drunk driver accident at 5:00 a.m. along Interstate Highway 37.
According to authorities, 22-year-old Joel Cherry Jr. was traveling in a southbound Dodge Journey on I.H. 37 in the vicinity south of S.H. 97 when the accident took place.
Officials indicate that a Chevrolet Tahoe occupied by a 23-year-old man was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of the interstate. A head-on collision consequently took place between the two vehicles, the Tahoe apparently overturning before coming to a stop.
Both Cherry and the man from the Tahoe sustained serious injuries over the course of the accident. The man from the Tahoe had allegedly been drinking previous to the accident taking place. 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 I hear about a wrong-way crash happening before sunrise, especially one where alcohol may be involved, it raises more than just concern—it raises questions about how the situation unfolded in the first place. Authorities believe the driver who entered the highway going the wrong direction had been drinking. That’s a disturbing possibility, but it’s not the end of the story. It’s the beginning of a much deeper conversation about where that alcohol came from—and whether someone had the chance to stop things before they ever reached the road.
In Texas, if an alcohol provider—like a bar, restaurant, or convenience store—serves someone who is clearly intoxicated, and that person goes on to seriously hurt others, that provider can be held responsible under dram shop law. These aren’t just technicalities. They’re safeguards designed to help prevent the very thing that happened here. A wrong-way crash rarely occurs without some form of serious impairment, and that raises the important question: Was someone still serving this person when they were already showing signs they shouldn’t be?
Unfortunately, unless someone asks that question directly, the investigation may never touch on that part of the story. Law enforcement often focuses, understandably, on the immediate crash and the actions of the driver. But when another person’s reckless behavior sends someone to the hospital, and alcohol was involved, we can’t overlook the broader context—especially when the person responsible may have been overserved.
This incident is yet another reminder that responsibility doesn’t always begin—or end—at the scene of the crash.
Here are three key points to keep in mind:
- Texas dram shop law gives those harmed in alcohol-related crashes the right to investigate whether an alcohol provider contributed by serving someone who was already intoxicated.
- Wrong-way collisions often point to extreme impairment, and that’s exactly the kind of danger dram shop laws are intended to address.
- Even when criminal charges are possible, civil remedies exist that can help victims uncover whether a business’s actions played a role in the events leading up to the crash.
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