50-year-old Neil Cavanaugh drunkenly drove a U-Haul truck into the front of the Texas Roadhouse in Lubbock, TX on Sunday morning around 7:30.
Insurance agents and emergency responders know from long experience that drivers behind the wheels of rented U-Hauls and other light moving trucks present increased risks of accidental crashes. Most of these drivers, used to smaller passenger vehicles, are operating the larger, heavier vehicles for the first time. It takes time for new drivers to acclimate to the slower, more sluggish responses of the larger, usually heavily loaded vehicles.
Many crashes happen when unaccustomed drivers take turns or curves at the speeds they normally use for passenger cars. A lot of crashes result when drivers of the light moving trucks fail to allow enough time and space to stop the vehicles. And then there are the occasional DWI wrecks like this one at Lubbock’s Texas Roadhouse, where the driver drinks before he takes the wheel of the light moving truck and then crashes spectacularly.
Fortunately no one was injured by this reckless, drunken crash. But the wreck did take out a whole section of the front wall of the Texas Roadhouse. The Texas Roadhouse managing partner, Stefan Gentry, said that the entire staff pitched in to help ready the Roadhouse for reopening. Neil Cavanaugh received an arrest for DWI. If Mr. Cavanaugh had intended to enjoy the amenities of the Texas Roadhouse into which he created his own opening, he remained unsuccessful.
The Texas City accident lawyers at Denena & Points remind you not to drink and drive. And when you’re behind the wheel of a larger vehicle than you usually drive, remember to take extra safety precautions to avoid accidents. Observe safe speeds and braking distances. And for the sake of the safety of yourself and others, never add alcohol to the equation. DWI causes dangerous crashes. Inexperienced U-Haul drivers cause dangerous crashes. For safety’s sake, don’t mix the two.