6-Year-Old in Critical Condition Following Round Rock Drunk Driving Collision
August 9th, 2023
A six-year-old girl was injured in a drunk driving accident in Round Rock on August 6. Learn details about the crash and the dangers of drunk driving in Texas from your Austin car accident attorneys at Ramos James Law, PLLC.
The Drunk Driving Crash
At around 6:45 p.m. on August 6, a drunk driver caused a collision on I-35 near State Highway 45 in Round Rock. The three-vehicle crash left a six-year-old girl in critical condition. A dash cam from a nearby vehicle caught footage of the incident.
Just before the collision, a white Dodge pickup truck can be seen traveling north at a high rate of speed on I-35. Traffic in front of the truck had reduced speed nearly to a stop, but the drunk driver failed to respond.
The truck is shown slamming into the back of a black passenger car, crumpling the smaller vehicle into the rear end of a semi-truck trailer. The pickup was pushed on top of the passenger car by the force of the crash.
Traffic on the interstate came to a standstill with bystanders exiting their vehicles to render aid. Bystanders directed the drunk driver to back the truck off of the passenger car and the driver was removed from the vehicle. The distressed driver alerted bystanders that her daughter was still in the now-crushed car.
Bystanders told reporters that the vehicle was so crushed, it seemed impossible that anyone could still be inside, but they were able to spot the girl. Rather than attempt to remove her from the vehicle, the bystanders waited for emergency assistance, directing traffic around the crash in the meantime.
Once emergency crews arrived on the scene, the six-year-old girl was removed from the vehicle and taken to a nearby hospital where she underwent emergency brain surgery. News sources report she suffered a fractured skull and spine, a traumatic brain injury, and damage to her optic nerve.
The driver of the Dodge pickup has been charged with intoxication assault. An investigation into the event remains ongoing.
The Dangers of Texas Drunk Driving Car Accidents
Drunk driving accidents are a serious problem in Texas. In fact, Texas comes in third place in the country for alcohol-related car accidents. Texas is actually the state in the country with the highest number of drunk drivers under the age of 21 involved in fatal crashes. Texas also came in second place for the highest number of fatal drunk driving accidents per capita.
Unfortunately, drunk driving crashes are also far more dangerous than other types of crashes. While less than 1% of all Texas car accidents result in a fatality, roughly 3% of all drunk driving crashes result in at least one death. This means drunk driving crashes are more than three times deadlier than other types of crashes.
If you or your child has been injured in a Texas car accident, an Austin child car accident attorney can help you fight for compensation.
Source: FOX7