We Need to Hold Galveston, Texas DWI Offenders Fully Accountable

It often seems to me as I read the news that media reporting has the goal of wanting to make you tear your hair out in frustration. For instance, I was just reading about a terrible pedestrian/car accident at the Galveston sea wall where a repeat DWI offender mowed down two victims. One of them, a woman from Arkansas unnamed in the report, died at the scene. The other victim, an unnamed Texas man, remained in critical condition from his injuries at the time of the report.

What got my attention particularly was the note that Felix Garza, the driver who mowed down the two pedestrians, received a charge of "driving while intoxicated for the third time or more." The "or more" wasn't specified. Since "third time or more" is the technical threshold for moving a DWI felony up from a 3rd to a 2nd degree felony, the "or more" could be many, many more DWI instances.

But there he was, again, driving while intoxicated on our streets. And this time he killed at least one person. Two people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time paid with their lives and well being for Felix Garza's crimes and inability to control himself.

The news report indicates that police presented Felix Garza with the most serious DWI charges available under the circumstances. But the penalties for felony DWI charges, even serious ones, aren't particularly heavy. If you're a friend or relative of the two victims that Felix Garza so callously mowed down on the Galveston sea wall, you probably won't draw much comfort from those charges, even if Felix Garza is convicted.

You might be able to pursue a dram shop action against a bar that served Felix Garza. Or you might pursue a wrongful death and survival action against him. The surviving victim could pursue a personal injury action against Felix Garza.

The civil legal remedies available to victims and their families might provide but small comfort after such a horrific DWI accident. But given the prevalence of devastating DWI accidents in our region (many by repeat offenders) and the terrible toll they take in lives, I believe we should make the effort to hold these callous drunk drivers accountable any way we legally can.