Drunk drivers are responsible for countless serious Texas car accidents and pedestrian injuries every year. Despite the uncontested fact that drinking impairs a driver's ability to control his or her vehicle, drunk drivers continue to be a problem on roads and highways throughout the state.

The most recent drunk driving victim was a Montgomery County woman who had just celebrated her 45th birthday and was driving home when she saw a stranded motorist. The stranded motorist was a 23-year-old Huntsville man who said that he experienced a flat tire on I-45 just north of League Line Road. The flat tire happened in a part of the road that had no shoulder, so the man had to stop in a lane of traffic.

The woman stopped to help the young driver. She pulled behind the man's car with her flashers on. The woman was then struck and killed by a 21-year-old driver who was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the crash. The crash had such force that the woman's car was crumpled and her front license plate was imprinted into the car in front of her's.

The suspected drunk driver was arrested by authorities and thrown into Montgomery County Jail. He faces charges of intoxicated manslaughter and will likely also face a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of the good Samaritan. A wrongful death lawsuit is a type of legal action brought by the family of a deceased car accident victim against the driver that is responsible for that person's death. Funds from a wrongful death lawsuit can be used to cover medical expenses and compensate grieving family members for their loss.

Source: Montogomery County Police Reporter, "Good Samaritan Killed on Birthday," Scott Engle, Jan. 3, 2011