AUSTIN, Texas — Billy Raisch said the scars on his face are a reminder of what happened the night of Feb. 26.
Raisch and his friends were out at the Parlor Room bar on Rainey Street in Austin when they were forced to navigate through a large and drunken crowd – which, to them, was not out of the ordinary during a night out.
However, things took a violent turn when Raisch said they had "harmlessly" bumped into a drunken woman.
"Forty-five seconds of intoxicated anger changed my life forever, while she probably went home that night and woke up with a really bad hangover," Raisch said.
According to Raisch, the woman threw a drink at his friend and when he tried to intervene, the woman hit him repeatedly with a glass.
"I think I wound up getting about 26 or 27 stitches in my face," Raisch said.
Raisch said he will need to have procedures and surgeries done to reduce the scarring.
To add insult to injury, Raisch claims staff at the bar did not handle the situation properly and that the Austin Police Department (APD) had suspended the case.
The person was found not charged, so Raisch decided to hire an attorney and file a lawsuit against the bar.
"Something horrible happened in this establishment, and the owners don't want to help," Raisch said.
KVUE reached out to APD on Thursday and a spokesperson confirmed the suspension of the case because the department had "limited suspect information and witnesses."
According to the lawsuit, filed by James Wood, the injuries Raisch suffered were a result of staff at the bar letting a person who was already drunk into their bar and allowing her to keep drinking.
You can read the full lawsuit here. (WARNING: There are graphic images within the document.)
Under the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code (TABC), serving alcohol to an already intoxicated person is considered a violation.
Wood explained whether the person was overserved at Parlor Room or at another bar prior, a bar's staff has a responsibility to look out for the safety for its patrons.
"Texas law has what we call Dram Shop Acts, and that says that if a bar over serves a patron to where they are beyond obviously drunk, the bar is responsible for any damage they cause," Wood said.
Wood said through the lawsuit, they hope to identify the person involved and take the case to trial.
"We're going to seek justice all the way to the finish line for Billy," Wood said.
Raisch said since the incident, he's had trouble being in large crowds and is hesitant to go out. Despite what the outcome will be, he wants this to be an example for anyone who goes out to be mindful.
"Be vigilant about your state of mind and be safe because you can't always count on the establishment you're in or its employees to be looking out further for you," Raisch said.