Sometimes it’s important to remember that there may be more than just the person who causes an accident who is liable. In one of the most common examples of another party sharing liability, bar owners should not be serving patrons until they are severely intoxicated and then get in their cars and drive off.
In one such instance, the family of a dead teenage girl are suing a strip club, the company that maintains the club’s liquor license and the man who allegedly drank until his blood alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit.
– Article By Richard Weaver
The man was ejected from Rick’s Cabaret in Houston less than half an hour before struck the 18-year-old girl’s pickup truck in spring 2011. The girl died a short time after. The man, who police say was driving 130 mph at the time of the crash, was convicted of intoxication manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The lawsuit alleges that Rick’s has a policy that encourages employees to serve patrons too much alcohol, even after the point of intoxication. The man had a blood alcohol content of 0.295 at the time of the crash. It says the club requires employees to pay a “house charge” to work at Rick’s, and that the workers can acquire “credits” for serving alcoholic beverages.
While the man is going to prison for his reckless and negligent behavior, the club did play a role in this tragedy. By encouraging employees to serve too much liquor, it is ignoring its obligation to not willfully send anyone out who could be a danger to others.
Source: Houston Chronicle, “Lawsuit claims strip club’s policy at fault in teen’s death,” Erin Mulvaney, Aug. 6, 2012
If you have lost a relative in what you believe is a case of wrongful death, our firm may be able to help you ask the important questions that can help you get the compensation you deserve.
