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Man Leaves Bar, Immediately Gets In A Wreck

In the US, 38 out of all 50 states have dram shop laws. Dram shop laws hold establishments liable if they serve alcohol to someone who then gets behind the wheel and causes injury or death to others.  This law is included in the state’s Alcohol Beverage Code to ensure that establishments licensed to sell alcohol can be held accountable if the worst happens.

According to a recent story reported by ABC13, two such establishments in the greater Houston area have been cleared of liability by investigators after a deadly crash in Clear Lake that happened on March 1st killed University of Houston-Clear Lake professor, Dr. Billy Satterfield. Satterfield had been riding in a Lyft vehicle.

The defendant in the case, Erik Deleon, 21, had a blood alcohol level of .210 when he slammed his Mazda pickup truck into the smaller vehicle, killing Satterfield and leaving his Lyft driver, Ezatullah Safi, in a coma.  Onsite testing at the time of the crash indicated that the defendant had a blood-alcohol concentration of .210 at the time of the accident; a level almost three times the legal limit of 0.08.

Initially, Deleon had told investigators at the scene that he had been throwing back tequila shots at one of the two bars just moments before the crash. Investigators did find some bar receipts in Deleon’s pickup truck. Sean Teare with the district attorney’s office, however, said in a statement that the company which owns both bars has been fully cooperative with investigators. The DA’s office found no evidence that the company which owns both bars had any role or liability in the deadly crash.

Deleon is currently facing the charge of intoxication manslaughter and other related charges.

 

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