A Texas road construction worker lost his life and another suffered life-threatening injuries after an incident in which an alleged drunk driver crashed into them. Police reported that the fatal accident occurred in Paris on a recent Tuesday morning in an area where a crew was working on the side of the roadway. Although the area of construction was marked, police say the driver disregarded the warnings and veered off the road and into the construction zone.
An accident report indicates that the driver struck one worker who landed on the hood of the vehicle. The driver apparently continued driving, carrying the worker on the hood, and then hit another worker before coming to halt after smashing into a telephone pole. The worker who was first struck died at the accident scene, and the other man was rushed to a hospital for treatment of a serious injury to his leg and head trauma.
Reportedly, the crash investigation is ongoing and blood-alcohol test results are pending. The 26-year-old driver was arrested and booked into a county jail. The man is now facing felony charges that include DUI vehicular manslaughter and vehicular assault while intoxicated.
Injured victims of workplace accidents — and surviving families of workers who lost their lives — are entitled to pursue workers’ compensation benefits. However, in a case such as this one in which a fatal accident was caused by an independent third-party, personal injury and wrongful death claims may be filed in a Texas civil court. Upon establishment of negligence by the suspected drunk driver, the court may enter monetary judgments to cover the documented financial and emotional damages suffered by the injured worker and the family of the worker who was killed.
Source: kxii.com, “Paris construction worker killed, driver arrested“, Raven Ambers, Feb. 9, 2016
