Former UHCL employee killed by drunk driver

A former University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) employee was killed in a traffic accident on Friday, March 1, when a drunk driver crashed into a vehicle belonging to his Lyft driver near the 14800 block of Galveston Road.

Ride-share driver Ezatullah Safi, 29, and his passenger Billy Satterfield, 40, were turning left through a green light onto Galveston Road shortly after 1 a.m. when a silver Dodge Ram truck struck Safi’s Dodge Caliber in the Pineloch intersection.

Satterfield, former executive director of financial aid/registrar for UHCL, was being driven home from the airport and was only five miles from home when the accident occurred.

Safi was transported to HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake (formerly Clear Lake Regional Medical Center) in critical condition, and Satterfield was pronounced dead at the scene, a news release from the Houston Police Department reported.

The driver of the Dodge Ram, Erik Deleon, 21, was also transported to HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake with minor injuries. Deleon, who is reported to have been drinking tequila shots at one or more local bars before the accident, has been charged with intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault.

Prior to hitting Safi’s vehicle in the intersection, Deleon also hit a silver Mazda truck stopped at the red light. The driver of the Mazda, Jessie Mercado, 32, was also determined to be over the legal limit and was charged with driving while intoxicated.

Statistics indicate that drunk driving is not a minor issue in Houston. An analysis of federal highway data by the Houston Chronicle shows that Houston ranks number one out of all U.S. Metropolitan areas for alcohol-related traffic fatalities during the last 16 years with more than 3,000 fatal wrecks, approximately 30 percent more than Los Angeles, which has almost twice the population of Houston.

The Houston area has averaged more than 5,000 impaired driving accidents per year since 2010, approximately 14 per day, the Houston Chronicle reports. Fatalities for these accidents total more than 300 each year.

“If people are going to choose to drink alcohol, they have to know their limitations,” said UHCL Director of Orientation and New Student Programs Angie Montelongo, who worked with Satterfield at UHCL and considered him a friend. “And if they are unable to be responsible, the establishment or servers should know when an individual is too impaired to drive. We have lost too many people to this reckless behavior, and it needs to stop.”

Establishments and servers can be held liable for continuing to serve an impaired individual through the Alcoholic Beverage Code in Texas, which contains what is commonly referred to as the Dram Shop Act.

The 1987 Dram Shop Act states a provider, any person who sells or serves an alcoholic beverage, can be liable for damages in a civil suit upon proof that “at the time the provision occurred it was apparent to the provider that the individual being sold, served, or provided with an alcoholic beverage was obviously intoxicated to the extent that he presented a clear danger to himself and others,” and “the intoxication of the recipient of the alcoholic beverage was a proximate cause of the damages suffered.”

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, a state agency that regulates the alcohol industry, is tasked with holding providers accountable for breaking these laws.  

“Selling alcohol to an intoxicated person is a Class A Misdemeanor, which can result in a $4,000 fine and a jail term of up to one year for the employee making the sale,” said Chris Porter, public information officer for TABC. “The business can also face administrative consequences, including a possible fine and a temporary suspension of their license to sell alcohol.”

Outside of large-scale efforts, such as a recent campaign tied to Spring Break, TABC regularly conducts undercover operations to find sources of alcohol that lead to fatalities and bodily injury.

“Most often, these involve businesses which sell alcohol to minors or intoxicated persons,” Porter said.

UHCL Police Chief Allen Hill indicates that TABC is not alone in this endeavor.

“I know that Harris County is going back and looking at cases, pulling videos for establishments and seeing if over-serving has occurred,” Hill said. “So, it appears that they are holding these businesses accountable.”

Hill advised that the Houston Police Department works diligently on DWI enforcement, and the Texas Highway Patrol division is on the case as well.

“I started my law enforcement career with DPS, and even back then, in the early 2000s, we had DWI enforcement weekends where we just solely concentrated on DWIs for drunk drivers,” Hill said.

Hill noted driving while intoxicated is “a selfish act to begin with.”  

“The sad part is, there is no excuse with all the different entities out there like Lyft and Uber, the apps, and the ease of being able to get a ride,” Hill said. “People are just irresponsible.”

UHCL President Ira K. Blake released a statement to faculty and staff on March 1 regarding Satterfield’s passing.

“As many of you may know or remember, Dr. Satterfield joined UHCL in 2007 and worked with us through 2018,” Blake said in the statement. “His talents helped shape and strengthen the services provided by the Financial Aid Office and the Registrar’s Office during the University’s transition to a 4-year university.”

Satterfield is survived by his wife, Caley, with whom he shared a passion for travel and scuba diving. Therefore, in lieu of flowers, his family has asked that donations be made to the Coral Restoration Foundation.

Donations can be made here. Satterfield’s obituary can be viewed here.