The family of a Burleson man killed in a 2008 car wreck was awarded $1 million Friday in a lawsuit against Southern Oaks Country Club, whose employees were accused of selling too much alcohol to a man who is serving time in prison for causing the fatal accident.
Lance Shetler was killed Dec. 29, 2008, on Abner Lee Drive near Spinks Airport and the Burleson golf course when his car was involved in a head-on crash with a vehicle driven by Mark Charles Pierce, a former Weatherford High School football star whose blood-alcohol level was nearly double the legal limit three hours after the crash."I hope this is a lesson to the community that serves alcohol to pay attention to proper policies and procedures, to not overserve alcohol and to preserve the safety of the general public," said Steven Laird, a Fort Worth lawyer who represented the Shetler family.Pierce is serving a 15-year sentence for the crash and an eight-year sentence for a 2006 Parker County drug conviction.State District Judge Dana Womack signed a final judgment order Friday against MNP Southern Oaks Private Club, which was doing business as Southern Oaks Country Club.Kelly Crain, listed on court documents as a lawyer for the country club, could not be reached for comment. The golf course manager did not respond to a message left with another employee.In the lawsuit, Shetler's family alleged that the club continued to serve Pierce alcohol despite witness accounts that he was intoxicated when he arrived at the club to play with an uncle and another couple.Pierce bought "at least 12 cans of beer" at 12:30 p.m. the day of the crash and bought six more after playing the first nine holes, according to the lawsuit. After nine more holes, he went to the clubhouse, where a bartender served him more alcohol, the complaint says.A blood test after the crash showed Pierce's blood-alcohol level at 0.14. The legal limit for being declared intoxicated is 0.08.Shetler was a father of three, an inventor of medical devices and a Sunday school teacher, his sister Tamra Shetler-Colbert testified during the criminal trial."Your thoughtless, reckless behavior destroyed the purity and innocence of three beautiful children," she told Pierce. "You had a dad who taught you to play football. Their dad will not be around to teach them football and baseball and cheer them on."This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.Gordon Dickson,817-390-7796Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
