Twenty-five year old Officer Sergio Antillon was driving home from a late night shift when he came upon a vehicle that had struck a guardrail and was stopped on the side of the road on Loop 410. Though his shift was over, Officer Antillon pulled over to assist the driver, Alfredo G. Araguz, who had consumed alcohol earlier in the night.
While Officer Antillon was standing on the shoulder of the road, another drunk driver, Sandra Coy Briggs, hit the officer, throwing him 125 feet into a guardrail. He sustained several major injuries, which later ended his life. The two drunk drivers, Araguz and Briggs walked away with minor injuries.
Upon further investigation, the San Antonio Police Department determined that Briggs was driving 78 miles per hour when she hit Officer Antillon. Briggs had just left The Bunratty Pub where she was served alcohol, prior to getting in her car and driving away. The bartender at Bunratty Pub continued to serve Briggs alcohol after she was intoxicated. Evidence showed both Briggs and Araguz had blood alcohol levels above the legal limit at the time of the accident. Briggs was later convicted of intoxication manslaughter and she is now serving 45 years in prison.
The Bunratty Pub had previously been the subject of three complaints alleging the sale of alcoholic beverages to an intoxicated person. It was found that many of the employees working that night did not have valid Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Seller Training certificates. As part of the settlement, attorneys for the Antillon family insisted that The Bunratty Pub forfeit its liquor license, and either close down or be sold to new ownership. The Bunratty Pub has now closed and no longer has a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission license to sell alcohol.
“Drunk drivers put everyone in our community at risk,” said attorney Tom Crosley. “Officer Antillon’s tragic death was preventable on so many levels. In this case, there were four defendants – the two drunk drivers, the bar, and the bartender – whose conduct contributed to Officer Antillon’s fatal injuries.”
The family of Sergio Antillon has settled its lawsuit two years after the tragic death. The Bunratty Pub was operating without liability insurance so it paid its share of the settlement out of its operating funds. Briggs and Araguz settled for their insurance policy limits. Officer Antillon’s family was represented by the attorneys of The Crosley Law Firm, P.C.
