Henderson, Texas - Woman Injured When Suspected Drunk Driver Crashes Into House on Elm Street

Woman Injured When Suspected Drunk Driver Crashes Into Bedroom of Elm Street House

A woman was seriously injured on early Saturday morning after a vehicle crashed into her bedroom as she was sleeping in her Elm Street home. Police believe the driver was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

The Henderson Police Department says that at around 2:40 a.m. on Saturday, the driver of a white SUV lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a house on the 1700 block of Elm Street in Henderson. According to the police, the impact caused the home to partially shift off of a concrete slab.

The driver of the SUV, Keith Shipp, has been charged with intoxication assault and DWI with injury. There was one other person inside the vehicle at the time of the crash.

The woman's daughter was also in the home during the crash, but did not suffer any injuries.

Legal Options For People Injured by Drunk Drivers in Texas

Lawyer Marc Lenahan has experience representing people who have suffered injuries and property damage caused by drunk drivers. We've asked Marc to add some of his thoughts on the legal options available to victims of drunk driving crashes in Texas:

Driving drunk is one of the most reckless decisions a person can make. Getting behind the wheel while intoxicated doesn't only endanger the life of the driver, it endangers everyone else the driver will encounter on the road that night. Drunk driving crashes often result in serious injuries, property damage, and death.

The victims of drunk driving crashes deserve answers and financial support for the personal and financial difficulties they'll be forced to suffer following the crash. These victims may potentially have grounds for two different types of lawsuits in Texas - a personal injury (or wrongful death) lawsuit against the driver, and a dram shop lawsuit against the alcohol vendor that served the drunk driver before the crash.

The requirements for filing a dram shop lawsuit vary from state to state. In Texas, people who have been injured by drunk drivers may have grounds for a dram shop lawsuit against an alcohol vendor if alcohol was given or sold to someone who was:

• a minor, or
• "obviously" intoxicated to the point that they posed "a clear danger" to the safety of self and others, and
• this intoxication was a foreseeable cause of injuries or property damage suffered.