Patti Dettloff, a wife, mother and grandmother, was killed in an August 2023 crash on Farm-to-Market 1960 in Humble, according to her family. A crash report said driver Isaiah Smith crossed the center line and hit Dettloff's car head-on. Smith's blood alcohol concentration was 0.148, nearly double the legal limit, the report stated.
Dettloff's family sued Smith and the Sugar Land bar Frank 'N' Steins under the Dram Shop Law. The bar denied wrongdoing in court filings. A jury awarded the family $13.4 million, assigning 78% of responsibility to Smith and 22% to the bar.
The family's attorney, Steve Shellist, said the award exists only on paper. Smith did not have auto insurance, and the bar did not have liquor liability insurance. ABC13 reported that Texas is one of a handful of states that does not require businesses that serve alcohol to carry that coverage. Lawmakers have introduced bills to change this over the years, and all have failed. Dettloff's daughter, Taylor West, said the family's goal was accountability, not money.