Smith County, TX — January 4, 2024, a child was killed and Salvador Vasquez Salinas and six others were hurt after a car accident at 6:05 p.m. on Highway 64.
According to officials, the crash took place in the area of Highway 64 and County Road 1147, west of Tyler.
Authorities say in their statements that 58-year-old Salvador Vasquez Salinas was in a Dodge Ram with five passengers, including a teenager and a baby. The Dodge was going eastbound on the highway when police say that a Chevy Trailblazer going westbound in the eastbound lanes crashed head-on into the Dodge.
As a result of the collision, Vasquez Salinas and three of his passengers had apparently serious injuries. The teenager and the infant had apparently less serious injuries. From the Chevy, a 9-year-old child sustained fatal injuries. The driver was seriously injured.
Right now, authorities say that the driver of the Chevy is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. This remains unconfirmed, and there are no reported charges at this time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When a story as shocking as this one comes to the public eye, it brings up the all-too-familiar topic of drunk driving in Texas. It’s a persistent, serious problem, and it’s something I talk about a lot on this blog. In more recent years, it’s at least been encouraging to see more and more people demand action not just to punish drunk drivers but also to take steps to help prevent others from getting hurt in the future.
For example, it used to be that I was the only one ever asking if authorities looked into where a driver got their alcohol and if that alcohol provider was responsible for over-serving the driver. Now, though, it’s become more apparent that alcohol providers who would otherwise continue putting lives at risk clean up their act quick once they actually face proper consequences. As such, I see more and more people in the public demanding authorities not only hold drunk drivers accountable but also find out if there’s a local establishment putting their community in further danger.
Whatever happened here, the consequences of this wreck are about as devastating as it gets. I don’t expect everyone to see things my way overnight. But a situation this serious will no doubt encourage a lot of people to seek out how we can help prevent other families from suffering similar harm.
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