UPDATE (January 24, 2025): Reports say the woman accused of driving drunk, resulting in the fatal accident was sentenced to prison for 20 years in relation to the crash.

UPDATE (June 25, 2024): Further information from authorities clarified details surrounding the accident. In addition to a 77-year-old man killed in the accident, a 72-year-old woman also lost her life. Their names weren't released. They were passengers in a Jeep Wrangler reportedly driven by 73-year-old Melanie Allen. Allen and another passenger, 82-year-old Frank Scott, had possibly minor injuries.

The driver allegedly responsible for the crash is believed to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, and authorities recommended charges including intoxication manslaughter. They have yet to say if they looked into where the driver got their alcohol from. As I discussed in my original post below, it's important to look into that, as there could be a local bar whose actions contributed to the victims' deaths. That, too, would warrant appropriate consequences, which is why it seems these updated statements still aren't quite telling the whole story.

Corpus Christi, TX — May 14, 2024, a man was killed and others were hurt following an alleged intoxicated driver accident at around 6:10 p.m. on Highway 361.

Officials said they closed down a portion of TX-361 on Mustang Island in the area of Wilson's Cut, south of Port Aransas.

According to current statements, the victim was a 77-year-old man in a car going northbound along the highway. From the southbound lane, authorities say that a vehicle crashed with another vehicle it was trying to pass. That first vehicle then veered into oncoming lanes, hitting the car the 77-year-old man was in and causing it to overturn. The man died a as result. Others involved in the crash reportedly had non-life-threatening injuries.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

Authorities say the driver of the car that crossed into oncoming lanes was intoxicated at the time and would face charges for intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault. If those allegations are true, was alcohol the intoxicant?

This is obviously an area with plenty of resorts and bars for people to go drinking. Across 30 years of litigating hundreds of wrongful death cases involving alcohol, when an intoxicated crash happens in an area like this, it usually means the allegedly intoxicated driver was over-served by one of those nearby establishments. They, too, can be responsible for contributing to the crash if it's found they over-served the driver.

So are authorities looking into that, as well? Too often, I find authorities charge the suspect drunk drivers, then consider their work done. But there could still be an accomplice out there who helped take someone's life and who could still be putting others in danger.