WESLACO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The family of a man who crashed and drowned after drinking at a sports bar is now suing the bar for overserving alcohol to him, records show.
Jesus Angel Romo, 30, was reported missing after last being seen Jan. 16 at Buffalo Wings and Rings sports bar in Weslaco, according to police.
Two days later, Weslaco police found Romo’s vehicle near Hutto and Sious Roads in an irrigation canal. On Jan. 19, police recovered Romo’s body, just north of Mile 9 North and Goolie Road, outside of the Donna city limits.
In an update, police said his cause of death was accidental drowning.
Romo’s family is now suing the establishment, alleging in a lawsuit that the bar “negligently served alcohol to Jesus Romo, who was obviously intoxicated and an endangerment to himself and others.”
According to the lawsuit, Romo was killed after crashing his vehicle into an irrigational canal five miles from the bar. Romo was in an “intoxicated and injured state” and drowned in a pool of water, the lawsuit stated.
The lawsuit alleges his death was due to “negligent acts and/or omissions,” on the part of the Wings and Rings. Additionally, the lawsuit accuses the restaurant of failing to comply with mandatory mandates from the Texas Alcohol Beverage Code.
The document states that restaurant and bar continues to operate with “an extensive history of alcohol-related crimes and TABC violations.” As a result of several incidents, the lawsuit alleges that TABC launched several undercover investigations that resulted in more violations being discovered.
The family is seeking $1 million in monetary relief and a “demand for judgment for all the other relief to which Plaintiffs deem themselves entitled,” according to the lawsuit.
