PORT ARANSAS, Tx — The Port Aransas community is grieving after a 61-year-old woman was killed in a drunk driving accident while driving her golf cart on the beach.
Heather Miller died at the scene Saturday night when her golf cart was struck by a pickup truck driven by George Baermann, also a Port Aransas local. Baermann was arrested and charged with intoxication manslaughter. This was not Baermann's first time being arrested for an alcohol-related crime.
"We have a small community, less than 4,000 residents. So when one leaves like this, it's just, you don't even know what to say," Scott Tanzer, a Port Aransas neighbor and golf cart rental shop owner said.
Miller was well-known in the tight-knit coastal community, where neighbors have placed flowers near Mile Marker K on the beach, just past the Cotter Avenue beach entrance, where the accident occurred. Family members of Miller still live in Port Aransas.
"I've known them for several years, and again, they're good good folks. It's just hard to swallow. I think it's just now, kind of, layering itself into the community like who it was," said Tanzer.
The accident has deeply affected the small town where the victim and the accused were both community members.
"It brings things a little bit closer to home when it's somebody from your community, as both parties involved are community members, so being a small town, everybody feels it," Port Aransas Police Chief James Stokes said.
Golf cart safety has been an ongoing concern in Port Aransas for years according to local law enforcement.
“Golf cart safety is a huge issue in Port A, it has been for many years," Chief Stokes said.
Neighbors want to see an end to accidents involving intoxicated drivers and golf carts in Port Aransas.
“People come here and they want to have fun and they kind of have a little alcohol, a little sunshine when it’s 90 degrees. They don’t mix well and they just make poor decisions. So, hopefully we can curb that," Tanzer said.
Some residents believe more enforcement could help prevent similar tragedies.
"I wish the budget was there for more police, more enforcement," said Tanzer.
The loss has hit the community particularly hard, given the personal connections many had with Miller.
"One, when you have a golf cart accident, it sucks. But then when you know 'em, it makes it even worse," said Tanzer.
When Neighborhood News Reporter Erin Holly asked Chief Stokes if this fatal accident would change beach patrol procedures, he said no changes would be made to patrol methods, but he is adjusting the officers' schedules for summer hours with the start of the peak season coming up in just a few weeks.
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