Accidents caused by drunk drivers happen more frequently than they should. The reality of the situation is that drunk drivers are on the roadways in greater numbers than people may be aware. One of the problems with this is that there is no way to tell who is drunk behind the wheel and who is not. All too often, a car crash involving a drunk driver ends in serious bodily injury and/or death. Families of the victims in drunk driving accidents are left to deal with the devastating impact of the accident.
In Pennsylvania, specifically Cook Township, the driver of a vehicle that killed a sophomore high school student was found to have been driving under the influence of alcohol. The 20-year-old man driving the vehicle was traveling down a winding road and mishandled his car, which led to the car striking a utility pole, a number of trees and eventually landing on its roof. The 15-year-old student, a passenger in the man’s car, was pronounced dead almost instantly. The man’s blood alcohol level, at .129 percent, was well above the legal limit.
Thankfully, the courts take drunk driving accidents very seriously. The courts look to punish the behavior and make the families of the victims whole. This is of little comfort however in situations where death is a result of the accident. Still, drunk drivers can be prosecuted criminally and civilly, which can help surviving family members tremendously. In the civil arena, if death results from an accident caused by drunk driving, the remaining family members can initiate a wrongful death suit.
Drunk driving accidents are horrible incidents that are caused by one person’s reckless disregard for others when they decided to get behind the wheel of a vehicle. This negligent action can have devastating consequences, but lawyers representing victims have the legal means to lessen the impact of those consequences.
Source: Trib Total Media, “Driver in wreck that killed Latrobe teen was drinking, speeding, police say,” Paul Peirce, June 22, 2013