Crosley Law Firm Files Suit on Behalf of Police Officer Slain by Drunk Driver

SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The family of San Antonio police officer Sergio Antillon, who died 15 days after being struck by a drunk driver on October 14, 2010, has filed suit against the drunk driver of the vehicle that struck him, a second drunk driver to whom the officer had stopped to render aid, and a bar and bartender who are accused of over-serving alcoholic drinks to one of the drunk drivers shortly before the fatal accident.

Off-duty and on his way home from work, Officer Antillon, only 25 years of age, stopped to aid what appeared to be a stranded motorist around 3:00 a.m. on Loop 410 near Military Drive. Officer Antillon was standing on the shoulder of the road assisting the motorist when a vehicle driven by Sandra Briggs drove into them. Officer Antillon was thrown 125 feet causing him to sustain massive injuries. Briggs was charged with one count of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault.

The suit filed by the Antillon family claims that both Briggs and the stranded motorist, Alfredo G. Araguz, III, were intoxicated. Further investigations by law enforcement officials revealed that Araguz had also been driving while intoxicated prior to his losing control of his pickup truck that night.

Investigations have also revealed that Briggs frequented The Bunratty Pub on Fredericksburg Road and that she appeared obviously intoxicated when she was served numerous drinks by the bartender on duty that evening, Kathy Foshee. An employee of a nearby fast food restaurant even recalled seeing an intoxicated Briggs come through the drive-thru lane after leaving The Bunratty Pub.

“This tragedy was preventable on so many levels,” says attorney Tom Crosley of the Crosley Law Firm in San Antonio, who represents Officer Antillon’s family.  “Officer Antillon’s death was the result of the reckless conduct of two drunk drivers who shouldn’t have been behind the wheel, and a bar and bartender who violated the law by continuing to serve alcohol to a woman who was already intoxicated, only to allow her to get in her car and put others in danger.”

Officer Antillon graduated from the academy on August 20, 2010. A life as a police officer was what he had always dreamed of.

The Antillon family hopes that by taking this case to court, they might raise awareness about the dangers of driving while intoxicated and the devastation it can cause. "Prevention begins with awareness and accountability," said attorney Crosley.

The lawsuit comes on the one-year anniversary of the senseless accident.

The Crosley Law Firm is a personal injury law firm headquartered in San Antonio. Mr. Crosley is board certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and board certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is one of the rare Texas lawyers to hold both distinctions. Learn more about the firm at www.crosleylawfirm.com.

SOURCE Crosley Law Firm