On June 15, 2013, the lives of several individuals in a town near Forth Worth, Texas, would be ripped apart forever. On that night, sixteen year-old Ethan Couch and several of his friends had been drinking—heavily. They had already stolen some beer from a local Wal-Mart. After consuming the beer, the decided they needed even more. So they decided to go for a drive in Couch’s pickup to get yet more alcohol. At the time, Couch had already consumed a significant amount of alcohol—vodka and Everclear—and also had Valium in his system. There were seven other teenagers in Couch’s pick-up truck.
Distracted and drunk, Couch turned onto Burleson-Retta Road, just outside Burleson, which is south of Fort Worth, Texas. Couch, who was driving at approximately seventy miles per hour in a forty mile per hour zone, plowed into a group of people who were attending to a stranded motorist. Couch’s pick-up struck another parked car, belonging to Brian Jennings and which also had two boys inside, which was then pushed into oncoming traffic. Breanna Mitchell, 24, was killed instantly. Mitchell was the driver of the stranded car. Three other people were also killed. Hollie Boyles, 52, and her daughter, Shelby Boyles, 21, were helping Mitchell with her stranded car, as was youth pastor Brian Jennings, 41. The impact was so severe that the four were flung fifty to sixty yards away from the scene.
Two of the passengers in Couch’s truck, those that were riding in the flatbed portion of the pick-up, were critically injured. One of the boys, Sergio Molina, spent several months in a coma. He remains paralyzed and brain damaged, and he can communicate only by blinking his eyes. A total of 11 people were injured. Soliman Mohmand was seriously injured, suffering from broken bones and internal injuries. Local authorities stated that it was the most horrific crash they had ever seen.
Three hours after the accident, Couch’s blood-alcohol content was a staggering 0.24, which is three times the legal limit in Texas.
Couch was charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault. His defense was that he was suffering from “affluenza”—he was the product of a wealthy family with parents who never set appropriate boundaries for him. He even had an expert in his corner—Dr. G. Dick Miller, a psychologist who blamed the accident on Couch’s parents. Indeed, this was not the first time Couch had been cited for alcohol violations. He had two prior possession of alcohol charges.
On December 11, 2013, Judge Jean Boyd sentenced Couch to ten years probation. He was facing up to twenty years in prison for the accident. Couch will not be released to his parents, but will be sent to a long-term treatment facility in California with a hefty price tag (borne by Couch’s parents) of reportedly $450,000 to $500,000 per year. Couch’s defense attorney, Scott Brown, stated that nothing that Judge Boyd would have done could have lessened the suffering of the victims’ families.
But that is not what those victims’ families said. Eric Boyles, who lost his wife and daughter in the accident, was outraged and stated that Couch has never had to face consequences for his actions. Marla Mitchell, Breanna Mitchell’s mother, said that Couch would face judgment from a “higher power.”
If you have been injured in a car accident as a result of someone else’s carelessness, or worse, the days, weeks, and months ahead will be an extremely trying time. Dealing with recovering damages for injuries you have sustained is not something you should have to do alone. Barrett Law PLLC, is here to help you. Let us put our experience to work for you. Please contact us today at (800) 707-9577 to schedule an appointment.