ATV Rollover in El Paso County Injures Five Teens; Driver Charged With DWI

Texas Penal Code Section 49.07 makes it a felony to cause serious bodily injury to another person while operating a vehicle intoxicated. Because two of the injured teens suffered serious injuries, the driver here faces intoxication assault charges, typically a third-degree felony carrying significant prison exposure and a lengthy license suspension. A criminal charge does not resolve civil liability; injured passengers and their families can pursue a separate personal injury claim against the intoxicated driver regardless of the outcome of the criminal case.

Texas Transportation Code Chapter 663 governs off-highway vehicles like the one involved in this crash, including where they may legally be operated and the precautions required when minors are aboard. Off-highway vehicles generally are not built for use on public roads and lack the safety features of standard passenger vehicles, which is part of why rollovers like this one so often lead to serious injury. When an off-road vehicle is driven on a public roadway and causes a crash, the operator can be held liable under this statute in addition to ordinary negligence law.