Articles Posted in Drunk Driving in Massachusetts

The period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s DAy is an especially dangerous time on roads because there is a big increase in the number of people who drive drunk.

Alcohol is responsible for around 52 percent of deadly crashes on Christmas, and 57 percent of fatal accidents on New Year’s Day, compared to 41 percent over the course of the entire year. Further, as The Telegram reports, there will be around 25,000 injuries and 1,200 alcohol-related fatalities in the U.S. over the course of the holiday season.

A Boston drunk driving accident lawyer knows police usually step up enforcement during the holidays and especially around high-risk times like New Years Eve in order to try to prevent impaired motorists from causing collisions. Ultimately, however, it is up to individual drivers to make smart and informed choices about not getting behind the wheel when they have consumed too much to drink. To help raise awareness and remind motorists about the dangers of drunk driving, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is urging motorists to “tie one on” for safety.
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In 2012, a 31-year-old was struck and killed by a drunk driver, who drove another two miles with the victim lodged in the windshield before stopping.

The impaired driver was finally forced to stop by other drivers and detained until police came and arrested her.

The two-year anniversary of the victims’ death is approaching, and family members of the victim say that the pain they are feeling has not subsided since that day.

A Boston drunk driving lawyer knows the death of a family member due to an impaired driver is something from which you never fully recovery.

Surviving family members do have the right to pursue legal action against the impaired driver, although nothing can ever bring back their lost loved one. In this case, the drunk driver has been found guilty of killing her victim and the driver is serving 55 years in prison.

Since his conviction, family members have decided to file a lawsuit against the substance abuse rehabilitation center where the driver as receiving treatment at the time of the crash.
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Driving drunk is the cause of around 10,000 accidents every single year in the United States. Some of those who get behind the wheel intoxicated have had a lot to drink. Others, however, have had just one or two glasses of wine, beer or other alcohol. A person may be impaired enough to have his driving affected with a blood-alcohol concentration even below the legal limit of .08 percent, and a Boston drunk driving accident lawyer knows by the time someone reaches that limit, the risk of an accident is just about doubled.

Unfortunately, many people think when they have only had a little bit to drink, they are fine to drive. The truth is, they are not.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reminds motorists even being a little “tipsy” is not safe when getting behind the wheel of a car. In light of the upcoming holiday season, a popular time for drinking with friends and family, the NHTSA has issued an alert warning that “Buzzed driving is drunk driving.”
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A 53-year-old man is serving seven years in prison for driving while intoxicated. The reason for the lengthy sentence was the conviction was his 12th for impaired driving.

Despite the dozen past arrests for impaired driving, USA Today reported the inmate does not think of drunk driving as a crime.

This man is one of 30 in his home state with 12 or more drunk driving convictions.

Boston impaired driving lawyers knowthere are people all over the U.S. like this man who repeatedly drive while impaired. Some of them are caught, but many more are not identified or arrested.

Many struggle with addictions to drugs and alcohol that impact their ability to make smart choices about refraining from drinking and driving. For them, consumption of these substances feels normal, and it doesn’t stop them from going about their lives. But in so doing, they are putting themselves and other motorists at risk of a deadly collision.
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In December of 2012, Dallas Cowboys’ running back Josh Brent was behind the wheel during a fatal drunk driving car crash that killed friend and teammate Jerry Brown. In January of this year, Brent, who tested nearly two times the legal limit of .08, was sentenced by the judge to 180 days in jail followed by 10 years of probation.

According to a recent news article from ESPN, Brent spent nearly five months in jail and then 45 days at an alcohol and drug rehabilitation center before being released back into the community to start his probation. The Dallas Cowboys have reactivated Brent, and he is eligible to play for the team again after sitting out a 10-game suspension imposed by the NFL.

Brent says his goal in returning was to make sure Jerry Brown’s death was not in vain. He also said that Brown was a great player and had a great future in the NFL before being killed in the drunk driving car accident.
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Riding, as a passenger in a car with a drunk driver behind the wheel is very dangerous, yet people do it all the time. According to a recent news article from the Boston Herald, a man from Walpole was involved in a fatal rollover car crash in Hyde Park in which his female passenger was killed.

Authorities are reporting driver was operating a 2003 Honda Accord at 2:30 a.m. when he lost control of his vehicle. His car rolled over and came to stop just before a major intersection. The female passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, while driver was taken to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston to be treated for injuries before being taken to court for arraignment.

Prosecutors have indicated they intend to charge driver with operating under the influence (OUI), leaving the scene of personal injury (hit-and-run) and homicide while drunk driving. He was also cited with speeding and other traffic offenses.
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Hit-and-run drunk driving accidents that result in serious injury or death cause victims and family members enormous grief. Not only must aggrieved parties cope with the pain and loss caused by the crash, but then there is the added frustration of elusive justice.

According to a recent news report from WCVB 5 Boston, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver in Brockton. The at-fault driver reportedly fled the scene.

Authorities report the fatal accident occurred late at night.

EMS workers rushed the victim to the hospital where she was immediately taken into a surgical intensive care unit and then placed in critical care. Sadly, she soon died from her injuries related to the suspected alcohol-related hit-and-run car accident.

In cases like these, it should be weighed whether at-fault driver’s failure to stop and render aid (i.e., call 911) delayed emergency response to a degree it might have cost victim his or her life.
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Drunk driving laws have gotten tougher over the years, but some say they aren’t yet as tough as they need to be. According to a recent news feature from ABC40, two families are fighting for lawmakers in Boston to increase the penalties again.

Last year, a young couple was driving home from a wedding. The male half was allegedly three times over the legal limit of .08 percent blood-alcohol content when he crashed into a tree, killing his passenger. In another case, two years earlier, another young man was killed by a drunk driver.

Families for both victims are pressing legislators to do more to prevent such tragedies, and to hold accountable the perpetrators. Defendants in both cases are serving three-to-five-year prison sentences. Both families say that they were told by prosecutors the defendants would likely only serve a full year or two of their sentences, at most.
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Zombies may be on their second life, but at least one in New York is unlikely to get a another break from the judge.

According to recent article from ABC Eyewitness News, police in New York arrested the same woman, dressed as a zombie, twice in the same night for the same offense – drunk driving.

Authorities reported the 26-year-old driver was pulled over by police for driving without headlights on her way home from a local Halloween party. During this arrest, she is alleged to have tested at 0.11 percent blood-alcohol content (BAC) on a breath test machine.

After being processed and then released from the police station, a friend picked her up to take her home. About three hours later, she was pulled over a second time. This time she allegedly blew a .09 percent BAC, which is still over the legal limit of .08 grams of ethanol per 100 milliliters of blood.
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When we send our kids on the school bus, we expect the driver to operate the vehicle in a safe and responsible manner. That may not always be the case. According to a recent news article from the Boston Globe, a school bus driver was arrested for allegedly operating a bus under the influence. At the time, the vehicle was carrying a high school track team home from a cross-country meet on Cape Cod.

Authorities report a a coach on the bus became concerned when the vehicle was randomly speeding up and slowing down and weaving off the road and hitting the rumble strips. The driver allegedly ran red lights and took the wrong exit off the highway. The coach used his cellphone to call police.

After police pulled over the bus, the driver failed sobriety tests and refused to take a breathalyzer. The police arrested driver on charges of operating under the influence (OUI), negligent operation of a motor vehicle, child endangerment, and OUI Third Offense.
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