Articles Posted in Drunk Driving in Massachusetts

An alleged drunk driving accident in Massachusetts injured a state trooper on Interstate 93 in Randolph in a construction area in the early morning hours, according to the Boston Herald. The driver is now facing her second operating under the influence (OUI) charge in Quincy District Court after rear-ending the state trooper. She blew a .15 on a Breathalyzer test. authorities report.

“She was unsteady and appeared to need the guardrail for support as she stood on the side of the road,” Herbst said, adding Minasian also had slurred speech, glassy eyes and smelled of alcohol. “At booking, officers indicated she was unable to stand up straight and she was bending over.”

Our Boston drunk driving accident lawyers would like residents to understand the dangers and consequences of driving while under the influence. Alcohol-related accidents oftentimes lead to serious injury and an experienced attorney should to be contacted immediately if you’ve experienced an accident with one of these irresponsible drivers.

The alleged drunk driver is also facing charges of failure to yield to an emergency vehicle and negligent operation for allegedly hitting the trooper, according to state police.

The officer remains in Boston Medical Center with serious injuries.

According to state police spokesman David Procopio, the early morning accident happened about 1,000 feet from the ramp to Route 24 southbound. At the time of the accident, the far left lane was closed to traffic because of construction work. The lane closure was distinctively marked with signs and arrows and the police cruiser. The cruiser’s emergency lights were activated during the time of the accident.

In the last year a dozen troopers have been injured by vehicles while either working paid details or investigating crashes, according to State Police spokesman David Procopio estimated.

Police statewide, are actively increasing their patrol units as an initiative they’ve called Operation Lightning, according to the Executive Office of Public Safety. This operation is deploying additional patrols every Friday and Saturday night to target drunk drivers.

In the last two weekends alone, the Operation arrested 24 drunk drivers and made an additional 14 arrests on various other charges. Criminal summonses were distributed to 15 other drivers and 263 citations motor vehicle violations were issued by the extra patrols. Operation Lightning expects to run through the rest of the summer.

This year alone, preliminary statistics conclude that there have been nearly 150 fatalities on Massachusetts roadways. Nationwide, about one-third are caused by drunk drivers.

While the statistics aren’t showing a steep increase, local officials are not satisfied. Any number of injury or loss of life on our roads that is caused by impairment, aggression, speeding, negligence or distraction is unacceptable.

Roughly half of the 87 police officers that have been killed in the line of duty across the country so far this year were killed by motor vehicles or in car accidents. The Massachusetts State Police have had 10 cruisers struck by drunk drivers so far this year alone. The current number puts the state on the same pace in reaching last year’s total of 20 cruisers struck by impaired drivers.
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A single-car, drunk driving accident in Massachusetts has taken the lives of two-teenagers — the driver of the vehicle faces charges including negligent motor vehicle homicide by operation under the influence of alcohol, as well as charges of operating under the influence, negligent operation, and speeding, according to Boston.com.

Police reports state that the male driver sped up and suddenly, for no reason and all, slammed on the brake causing the car to slide sideways before it smashed into a barrier on the McGrath Highway, according to Everett Independent.

Our Boston drunk driving accident attorneys would like to remind motorists, once again, of the dangers of driving under the influence. All too often, lives are lost because a driver gets behind the wheel after drinking or taking other drugs. The risks are increased even more when the driver is an inexperienced young operator.

Two female passengers, who were reportedly wearing their seat belts at the time of the accident, died. The first one was pronounced dead as the emergency responders reached the accident scene. The second passenger later died from her injuries.

“He was pulling his hair crying, screaming…’I killed her, I was driving, and I’m drunk,” Assistant District Attorney Ceara Mahoney said at the hearing, adding that the defendant stated, “I’m responsible for her death.”

A not-guilty plea was entered on the driver’s behalf. He was held on $5,000 cash bail.

“We need to do a better job educating the students about drinking and driving,” said Everett Assistant Superintendent Charles Obremski. “It’s an unfortunate situation. It’s very, very sad.”

This isn’t the driver’s first run in with the law as court records show that he has not received serious punishment for any of the previous criminal charges that he’s faced. Just last month, the court dropped charges for assault and battery, assault and battery on a police officer and resisting arrest in Milton after the case was continued without a finding. According to the Quincy District Court clerk’s office, the driver has also previously pleaded guilty to charges of disorderly conduct. That finding was merely put on file.

Earlier this year, the court dismissed even more charges, including charges of being a minor in possession of alcohol and disorderly conduct. According to the Lawrence District Court clerk’s office, the charges were dropped after he completed pretrial probation.

More than 30 percent of drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 who were killed in traffic accidents reportedly had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or high. More than 25 percent had a BAC of .08 g/dL or higher, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2009, more than 5,100 young intoxicated drivers were involved in fatal accidents.
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