Driver Kills Worker in Wichita Falls, Texas
Driver Kills Worker in Wichita Falls, Texas by Texas Drunk Driving Accident Attorney Justin A. Hill
A recent accident in Wichita Falls, Texas has led to the death of a man who was working on transmission lines. According to the Times Record News:
An overnight traffic crash that killed a Time Warner cable worker has resulted in the arrest of one man, according to a release from the Wichita Falls Police Department. William Deas III, 22, has been charged with Intoxication Manslaughter, according to the release. The victim, 38-year-old Kevin Becker, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in the 4800 block of Fairway Boulevard. At 2:11 a.m., officers were sent to the scene and discovered a Time-Warner Cable utility truck had stopped on Fairway. Becker was in the truck’s bucket/crane working on high lines. A 2001 Isuzu Rodeo was traveling south on Fairway when it struck the back of the utility truck. Becker was ejected from the elevated bucket and fell to the roadway. Deas was pinned inside the Isuzu for a time, but was freed by First Responders from the Wichita Falls Fire Department. He was taken to United Regional Hospital where he was treated and released. Deas has been booked into the Wichita County Jail on the Intoxication Manslaughter charge, the release said.
This is another terrible tragedy that could likely have been avoided by responsible drinking. Cities continue to find ways to reduce/eliminate drunk driving. Some cities have instituted no-refusal weekends where warrants are issued to take BAC by blood when drivers refuse to submit. An article posted in the Austin American Statesman regarding the city’s success in identifying and testing drivers that would not submit to a sobriety test on SuperBowl night illustrates the potential of this new trend. According to the article:
During the Super Bowl no refusal initiative on February 7, 2010, between the hours of 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. there were 17 DWI arrests made. One additional case is still under investigation.
Seven individuals refused to give a sample of their breath or blood. After a judge signed a search warrant all 7 individuals had their blood drawn.
Total DWI arrests = 17
High BAC Breath = .24
Low BAC Breath = .11
High BAC Blood = .28
Low BAC Blood = .15
Average BAC for blood search warrant = .23Breath BAC < .08 = 0
Blood BAC < .08 = 0
Breath BAC .08 < .15 = 2
Blood BAC .08 < .15 = 1
Breath BAC .16 < .23 = 7
Blood BAC .16 < .23 = 2
Breath BAC .24 or higher = 1
Blood BAC .24 or higher = 4Approximately 82% of all persons arrested were at least twice the legal limit.
The Austin Police Department is continuously focused on preventing lives from being lost on the streets and highways of Austin. The department is dedicated to making the roadways of Austin safe for residents and visitors through education and enforcement.
Drunk driving accidents are one of the dangers on the roadways today. According to MADD, on average, someone is killed by a drunk driver every 45 minutes. In 2008, an estimated 11,773 people died in drunk driving related crashes—a decline of 9.8 percent from the 13,041 drunk driving related fatalities of 2007. If someone you know was injured or killed as the result of a drunk driving accident, encourage them to immediately contact a competent attorney for advice. It is extremely important to do this quickly to ensure that evidence is preserved, statements are taken, and the rights of all potential plaintiffs are protected.
Was wondering why the men who work in elevated buckets do not wear some sort of harness to prevent this type of fatality from occurring at the hands of a negligent (or intoxicated) driver. Respect -Butterfly
[...] the original post: Drunk Driver Kills Kevin Becker in Wichita Falls, Texas | Safer … Tags: dangers, drunk driving, drunk-driver, dui law, people-died, roadways, safer, [...]
Butterfly- That is a very good thought. I think oftentimes the men that work in the elevated buckets do have a harness. However, if the underlying vehicle is struck by another vehicle moving at high speeds, being secured to the bucket that could hit the ground or hit the pole could be a worse situation in regard to survivability.
Kevin Becker was a good man who love God and his family. He was my friend. I hope that justice is served and that his family is duly compensated for this tragedy.
Please pray for comfort for his wife and three children.
This is really sad….something needs to be done in Wichita Falls reguarding the drinking and driving situation. This is 2 deaths that I know of within the past month. It is absolutely disgusting that people can get away with taking another person’s life all because they made the selfish decision to drink and drive. I have the unfortunate pleasure of knowing an individual that killed a man that was coming home from work to be with his pregnant wife and kids. This individual served a total of 18 months for his crime. Meanwhile this mans family will have to suffer with his loss for the rest of their lives. The sad thing is these people don’t learn from their mistakes and change, they go to jail for a couple years, get out and go right back to doing what got them there in the first place. I can’t express how sad and upset this makes me. I don’t know what to do about it but I feel like their must be something I can do to help. There has to be a way to make these streets safer for our families.
I am so happy to have been able to get to know my cousin once again through facebook. This is very sad and my heart goes out to his wife and children. I know he adored them all! Getting to know him and how he lived his life I know that he is in the arms of our Lord! The driver of this car will have to live with the fact that he not only hurt those in Withita Falls Texas, but family that stretches across several states up to New York. My prayers will be for our family as well as this driver.