Andre McDonald Convicted of Manslaughter

Published on: February 6, 2023 | by Carabin Shaw

iStock-104821184-300x225
(February 6, 2023) Andre McDonald was found guilty of manslaughter by a San Antonio jury on Friday, February 3, for killing his wife back in 2019. It was not an easy conviction – the jury was deadlocked for quite some time over whether or not he should be convicted of murder or manslaughter. How does Texas law define murder v. manslaughter, and what are the legal implications of a manslaughter charge?

Murder v. Manslaughter in Texas

Murder and manslaughter both result in the death of an individual, and both also usually result in a prison sentence for the perpetrator. However, there are significant legal differences between a manslaughter charge and a murder charge in a Texas court.

Two Dead in New Year’s Auto Accident Fire

Published on: January 4, 2023 | by Carabin Shaw

Auto accidents can result in serious burns.

(January 4, 2022) New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are by far the worst time of the year for major auto accidents, usually because of drunk driving. This year was no exception. San Antonio Express-News reported an accident on New Year’s Day that resulted in at least two people burning to death after their crashed automobile erupted into flames. The vehicle reportedly swerved across three lanes on I-35 before crashing into a concrete on-ramp pillar and catching fire at 4:30 a.m. on the Northeast side of San Antonio. Burn injuries from auto accidents can be extremely painful and debilitating for their victims and are almost always the result of another party’s negligent actions. Let’s take a look at some ways auto accident victims are burned and the legal recourse available to them.

Did you know?

Don’t Drink and Drive This New Year’s Eve

Published on: December 30, 2022 | by Carabin Shaw

Drink responsibly this New Year’s Eve

(December 30, 2022) New Year’s Eve is tomorrow, and with most of San Antonio back in full swing for the holidays, it’s set to be a night full of celebration and excitement for the coming New Year. Why spoil the fun with a DWI charge? New Year’s Eve is the worst holiday for drunk driving. Encountering drunk drivers is 116% more likely on New Year’s Eve and results in fatalities every year in San Antonio and throughout the United States. Make responsible choices a part of your New Year’s resolutions, and drink responsibly this holiday weekend.

Did you know?

Tips on Staying Safe This Holiday Season

Published on: November 27, 2022 | by Carabin Shaw

Enjoy safe drinking this holiday season

(November 27, 2022) The holiday season is upon us, and though it has been a historically dry year, rain is often seen in our holiday forecasts. But with the holidays comes stressed-out drivers and a spike in intoxicated drivers on the road, and the rain combined with these factors makes driving during this holiday season a risky business. However, driving cannot be entirely avoided. It’s been a stress-filled year for everyone, and that can make it easy to make a devastating mistake on the road. Let’s take a look at some of the most common traffic incidents happening on San Antonio roads and how to avoid them, so you and your family can enjoy a safe holiday season.

Safe Driving in the Rain

Drunk Driving on Halloween

Published on: November 2, 2022 | by Carabin Shaw

iStock-847012628-300x200
(November 2, 2022) Driving on Holiday nights is always risky when it comes to intoxicated drivers on the road, but this is especially true for Halloween night. Getting seriously hurt or losing a loved one is not the spooky most people expect on this festive occasion. Unfortunately, recent statistics found that drunk drivers were involved in 44% of fatal crashes on Halloween weekend. When not fatal, accidents involving drunk drivers almost always involve severe injuries like Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), which can change the victim’s life forever. Fatal pedestrian accidents are also up on Halloween, and 23% of these accidents involved a driver or motorcyclist with a BAC of 0.08% or higher.

Spinal Cord Injury and Drunk Driving

Auto accidents are the leading cause of Spinal Cord Injury in the United States for those ages 16-30 and affect a staggering 450,000 people annually. They account for slightly less than half of all new cases of Spinal Cord Injury in the United States every year. Even more tragic is the fact that alcohol is involved 25% of the time. Additionally, half of these spinal cord injuries are complete, meaning that the victim permanently loses all feeling in the lower part of their body. Spinal cord injuries alter a person’s life forever – and the leading cause of this tragedy is an entirely preventable one. That’s scary.

Culebra is Deadliest Road in San Antonio

Published on: September 19, 2022 | by Carabin Shaw

Speeding is a huge problem for Culebra

(September 19, 2022) On February 17, 2020, a 19-year-old girl named Jasmine Marie Goudeau was driving home down Culebra Road just after midnight. She was driving through an intersection just one block away from her home when a suspected drunk driver ran a red light, T-boning the vehicle and killing her. On March 5, 2022, two pedestrians were killed on the same night, one of whom was crossing Culebra Road. Deadly accidents on Culebra are not uncommon. In fact, a report by San Antonio Express-News compiled data provided by the Texas Department of Transportation and found that Culebra is the deadliest frontage road in San Antonio. In this article, we’ll look at why this road is so dangerous and what to do if you’ve been in an auto accident on Culebra.

Did you know?

Holidays and Drunk Driving in San Antonio

Published on: September 6, 2022 | by Carabin Shaw

Drunk driving claims hundreds of lives every year in Texas

(September 6, 2022) San Antonio is ranked among the most deadly cities in the United States for drunk driving over the holidays. In an effort to prevent as much tragedy as possible, the TxDOT worked with law enforcement agencies across San Antonio to increase DWI patrols over Labor Day Weekend. Last year, the statewide fatality report due to drunk driving was a staggering 963 persons. Despite the increased efforts of law enforcement, two separate DWI incidents resulted in one pedestrian death in one night, September 3, 2022. Thousands of families are affected by drunk drivers every year, and law enforcement efforts can only do so much to stop drunk driving in Texas. In this article, we’ll talk about driving safely during the holidays and how to report drunk drivers when you see them on the roads.

Did you know?

O’Connor High School Graduate Killed in DWI Accident

Published on: August 31, 2022 | by Carabin Shaw

Drunk driving has serious consequences.

Drunk Driver Hits, Kills O’Conner Highschool Graduate

(August 31, 2022) On August 27, 2022, a former O’Connor High School football player was thrown off a bridge and killed while providing assistance to stranded students in the Fort Worth area, as reported by My San Antonio News. Charles Trammell III, 20, was helping stranded students change a flat tire on the access road to I-30 when he was struck by a driver who is suspected of being intoxicated. The force of the impact sent him flying off of Highway 287 ramp to I-30 westbound at around 9 p.m., causing him to fall more than sixty feet below. The driver, Miguel Angel Lopez, has since been charged with intoxicated vehicular manslaughter and an accident involving death. Drunk driving is a big problem for Texas drivers. In this article, we’ll look at the difference between a DWI and a DUI charge and what the implications of an intoxication manslaughter charge are in San Antonio.

San Antonio Hit-and-Run Accidents

Published on: August 22, 2022 | by Carabin Shaw

Texas Hit-and-Run Accidents on the Rise

(August 22, 2022) Two hit-and-run accidents a week apart left two San Antonio drivers severely injured and in the hospital. So, what do you do if you’ve been hit by a vehicle and they just drove away? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at these two accidents, and then we’ll discuss what to do if you’ve become a victim of a hit-and-run accident.

Did you know?

Woman Killed on a Neighborhood Walk by Suspected Drunk Driver

Published on: May 12, 2022 | by Carabin Shaw

iStock-1349023498-300x200
(May 11, 2022) An elderly woman was killed by a suspected drunk driver while on a neighborhood walk with her son late yesterday morning on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, as reported by KSAT News. The woman, Irma Lozano, age 78, had stopped for a few moments to chat with a neighbor on the sidewalk near Oak Hill Road while her son moved on a little way. It was then that a driver of a gray Ford Edge jumped the curb and drove straight into the woman right in front of her neighbor’s eyes. The driver continued at high speed until crashing into a nearby tree, “she hit it so hard it came out with a root,” Lily Delgado, the neighbor who was speaking to Irma Lozano, told KSAT. Irma Lozano died at the scene. The woman who was driving the car was transported to the hospital by ambulance, where the police charged her with intoxicated manslaughter. Her condition is unknown, and her name has not been released.

Intoxicated drivers claim many lives every year. Many drivers understand they are always accepting some risk when they get behind the wheel of an automobile, but to be killed by another’s careless and selfish actions when you were simply trying to enjoy a neighborhood stroll with your family is inexcusable. The Law Office of Carabin Shaw has been representing the victims of DUI accidents in San Antonio for 30 years, and if you have suffered the loss of a loved one due to another’s negligent actions, we stand ready to assist you in receiving your full legal compensation.

Have you been injured or lost a loved one in a DUI or DWI accident in San Antonio or the surrounding area?