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In Massachusetts, when a person is arrested for drunk driving, following a serious drunk driving accident, the official name of the criminal charge is operating under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs.  The liquor part is used to include to any beverage that includes ethanol, which is the form of alcohol that humans consume in alcoholic beverages.  There are other types of alcohol used for industrial and medical purposes like isopropanol, but that is made from wood, and while people have drunk it, and it will cause intoxication, it is very detrimental to your health.

Drunk Driving Accident As far as the drugs part of the charge goes, that can include any substance that causes intoxication, but generally means prescription drugs or illegal street drugs.  However, there have been drugged driving accidents where people are intoxicated from huffing gas or other toxic chemicals. Continue reading

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If your child wants to have a graduation party, prom party or any party at your house over the course of the summer, it is very important you understand as a parent what your responsibilities are under the law. If either you or your child knowingly provides alcohol for someone who is under the age of 21, there could be serious legal consequences. drunk driving

Unfortunately, many young people do have parties during the summer — sometimes with their parents knowledge and other times when parents are at work. If someone leaves these parties and gets into a drunk driving crash, the collision victim must know his or her rights under Massachusetts law. A Boston drunk driving lawyer can provide assistance to collision victims in pursuing a claim not only against the intoxicated driver, but also against the parents of teens who provided the alcohol consumed before the drunk driving accident.

When victims of drunk driving collisions have more potential defendants to make claims against, this maximizes the chances the crash victim can obtain full compensation for losses. Drunk driving injuries can be serious and expensive to treat. If the teen driver has limited auto insurance, the victim can pursue a claim against others who may have more coverage and more assets – as long as the teen can prove the others are liable under Massachusetts law.

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Prom season should be a very joyous time. But that joy can quickly turn to tragedy if teens or young adults drive while impaired by drugs and cause a serious or fatal accident.

Young drivers are not permitted by Massachusetts law to consume any alcohol before driving if they are under the age of 21. Yet, many young adults will drink and drive after prom night or around graduation time when celebrating with friends. dui injury

In addition to facing serious consequences under Massachusetts zero tolerance laws, including the suspension of a driver’s license for driving after drinking, teen drivers can be held accountable if they caused impaired driving accidents.

A Boston drunk driving accident lawyer can provide assistance to victims in pursuing a case to obtain compensation from drunk teen drivers if you are hurt in a car accident or if your loved one is killed in a collision. Continue reading

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The summer is a really dangerous time for driving, and some of the highest risk times on the road occur on Memorial Day Weekend, Fourth of July Weekend and Labor Day Weekend. Why are these days so dangerous? One simple reason: Impaired drivers.

People drive drunk far more often during summer holiday celebrations than they do at most other times of the year, and they put themselves and others at risk. beer-dude-1559597-300x201

Drunk drivers are breaking the law. Not only can an impaired driver face criminal charges, but a driver who is drunk can also be sued by victims of any crashes the motorist causes to occur.  Victims should consult with a Boston drunk driving accident lawyer who can help them to obtain toxicology reports, police testimony, witness testimony and other evidence necessary to prove a driver was drunk and caused an accident to happen. Continue reading

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When a person is pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving, the police have likely witnessed some type of suspect driving behavior.  In some cases, the police will arrive at the scene of a drunk driving accident and become aware of the fact that one or more of the drivers may have been driving a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

beerAuthorities have various tools at their disposal to determine if there is probable cause to place a person under arrest for drunk driving.  In Massachusetts, the formal name for a drunk driving charge is operation of a motor vehicle under the influence intoxicating liquor or drugs (OUI).  Probable cause means that there is some probability that defendant is guilty of an offense for which he or she is about to be arrested and charged.  This is basically the lowest standard of proof in criminal or civil court system, but courts will, and often do, dismiss criminal cases following a motions hearing if the prosecutor cannot establish probable cause to have arrested or charged a defendant.  This applies to cases following a Boston drunk driving accident as well. Continue reading

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According to a recent news article from The Boston Globe, there may be a path for some military veterans to avoid a criminal conviction for drunk driving if they complete a specific pretrial diversion process.  Pretrial diversions are nothing new, but one specifically for drunk driver who are also military vets is new and is causing a great deal of controversy, even among some veterans themselves and others who have nothing but the utmost respect for the brave men and women who risked their lives to serve our nation.

army duiThe cases stemmed from a 2012 law that created a specific path to avoid prosecution for military veterans. This law, officially called the Valor Act, gives judges discretion to allow military veterans to go to specially designed rehabilitation programs to help them learn to not drink and drive and better return to civilian life. There is no question that it is very hard for many military veterans, especially those who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, to return to what we would consider a normal prewar life, given the incredible and often unimaginable experiences they had while serving overseas. Continue reading

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According to a recent news article from the Boston Globe, Chelsea police have evidence from a surveillance camera operated by the city that allegedly shows a drunk driver going on what they call a “wild ride” right through downtown. Chelsea is the 1.8 square mile incorporated city located just across the Mystic River from Boston.  While Chelsea does not have a large population, there are many drunk driving incidents, including serious or fatal drunk driving accidents that occur there each year.

drunk driving accidentIn this recent incident, police say the 56-year-old defendant was driving his Chrysler PT through the heart of the city in a manner than had more than two dozen people fleeing for safety as they witnessed the car as it allegedly went down the steps of the city’s Civil War memorial and then drove right onto the lawn in front of Chelsea City Hall. Continue reading

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While it is good that there has been a strong push to enhance drunk driving laws, especially in cases involving serious or even fatal drunk driving accidents, it will not do any good if the new stricter laws are not enforced when the opportunity presents itself.  However, according to a recent news article from the Boston Globe, that is exactly what is occurring.

gavelFor those who are not familiar with Melanie’s law, it was passed more than a decade ago.  The purpose of the 2005 law was to make the penalties for drunk driving offenses much tougher in Massachusetts to prevent serious drunk driving accidents, including fatal ones that occur in Boston and other parts of the state. Continue reading

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As discussed in a recent article from The Economist, while the media is often discussing the very real problems of gun violence in America, far more people are killed in a fatal car accidents, and and an even greater number of victims are inured.

phoneLooking at the numbers, around 40,000 people will die in car crashes across the U.S. each year.  Around 10,000 (roughly 25 percent) of these deaths are caused by drunk driving crashes.  This means that approximately a quarter of all traffic fatalities in the nation would not have occurred if those drivers decided to either not drink to the point of intoxication or decided not to get behind the wheel after becoming intoxicated. Continue reading

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For those who are new to driving in Boston and the greater Boston area, rotaries can be among the most confusing and seemingly dangerous features of the road that one can encounter.  These feature drivers going around in circles at relatively high speeds and do not seem to be yielding to other drivers regardless of who has right of way.

roundaboutAs it turns it, rotaries, or roundabouts as they are called in Great Britain, can cause problems anywhere. This is especially true when a driver trying to negotiate one of them is drunk. According to a recent news article from Cornwall Live, a mother was allegedly driving drunk with her 19-month-old son when she approached a roundabout at high rate of speed. Continue reading