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Spotlighting liability linked with Texas’ dramshop law

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Sometimes a given Texas legal matter featuring liability will closely depend on the proven culpability of one designated third party.

At other times, such is not the case, which we prominently note on our website at the experienced Killeen law firm of Michalk, Beatty & Alcozer. We stress therein that, “Personal injury law does not require you [an accident victim] to hold a single party responsible for what happened to you.”

That is often a fortunate reality for injured accident victims and families, given their expanded ability to fairly seek compensation from every individual or entity that materially shared responsibility for an adverse accident outcome.

We note on our website that dramshop liability is a case in point. Its logic is underscored by this nonsensical outcome: the limited ability of a clearly intoxicated person at a bar who leaves the premises noticeably drunk to to seek compensation only against a negligent driver in a subsequent crash.

What about bar employees who were unquestionably aware of that person’s obviously diminished state upon leaving the bar? Shouldn’t bartenders, waiters and additional business parties who were actually or reasonably aware that a drunk patron should not be driving – and had the ready ability to step in and stop that outcome – share responsibility in a crash aftermath?

Texas’ dramshop law is premised directly on the rationale that they should be.

That can be an extremely important point in an injury case. A proven team of personal injury attorneys can provide further information.

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