Former Dallas Cowboy Brent receives jail and probation for crash

Thousands of people from all walks of life can be arrested for driving drunk. They are responsible for a multitude of deaths and many more are injured. Even with public awareness campaigns and education about drunk driving, the number of deaths and injuries remains high. Anyone can be charged with drunk driving, but the people you hear most about are celebrities and sports figures.

Ex-Dallas Cowboys football player Josh Brent was given 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation for a Dallas car crash that killed a friend and teammate. He was also fined $10,000. The 25-year-old football player was convicted of intoxication manslaughter for the December 2012 car accident that killed his friend, who was a passenger in his car. Brent could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Brent and his friend were on their way back home from a party with Dallas Cowboys teammates when Brent’s Mercedes went out of control and crashed. Blood tests indicated that Brent’s blood alcohol content was at 0.18 percent, which is more than twice the legal limit in Texas.

Too often drunk driving accidents result from restaurants, nightclubs and hosts of private parties failing to take responsibility for a driver who may have become drunk at their place of business or home. When this is the case, the owner of the establishment or the owner of the property where the party occurred may be held liable for the injuries caused by that intoxicated driver under what are called dram shop laws.

Should the venue where Brent became intoxicated have any liability in this case? This is exactly what legal teams help to decide.

Source: kxan.com, “Ex-Cowboy Brent gets 180 days in jail, probation” Schuyler Dixon, Jan. 24, 2014