HOUSTON, TX (04/15/2016) — A University of Houston student, Mark Tartaglio was killed on Friday after a drunk driver struck him and his girlfriend, Corina Burnett.
Authorities identified Mark Tartaglio—a University of Houston student—as the victim of a fatal auto-pedestrian accident that occurred along the 5000 block of Calhoun Road, Near MacGregor Way, in Houston, Texas.
According to Sgt. James Roque of the Houston Police Department, at around 12:10 a.m., 23-year-old Marshall Patrick Schoen was traveling in a white pickup truck when he attempted to pass the driver of a black Infiniti, who was trying to make a left turn.
Schoen’s passing maneuver failed and he struck the front of the Infiniti, which caused him to spin onto the side walk and hit Tartaglio and his girlfriend, Corina Burnett.
Tartaglio and Burnett were transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where Tartaglio later died.
Houston police arrested Schoen and charged him with intoxicated assault with a vehicle.
“Drinking and driving is something everyone can avoid,” wrote Kaitlin Santibanez on Facebook. “Please let Mark be a symbol for a lesson learned to all of us. He was kind and sweet and always smiling.”
Commentary
Not only will the driver face charges for intoxication assault (and most-likely intoxication manslaughter), he must also live with the fact that his actions claimed the life of an innocent pedestrian. We urge drivers to have a plan for getting home after drinking. You must never drive while intoxicated, no matter what. The potential consequences are far-greater than you could expect, and you will be held fully-accountable for your actions.
