Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog

According to a recent news article form the New York Daily News, a retired New York Police Department (NYPD) officer was just arrested for his alleged involvement in a drunk driving car accident.

Authorities say the 44-year-old NYPD retired veteran crashed his 1999 Toyota sedan into another car being driven by a 35-year-old man making a turn at an intersection. Emergency responders reported immediately to the scene of the alleged drunk driving crash and treated the victim before taking him to a local hospital. According to hospital officials, the victim of this serious drunk driving crash was listed as being in “grave” condition following his arrival to the hospital.

The retired police officer was placed under arrest for suspicion of drunk driving and taken to the local police station, where he was booked and processed before being released with a date to appear in court for his arraignment. It should be noted, this retired police officer has not been convicted of drunk driving or any other crime in connection with his alleged alcohol-related car accident and is presumed innocent unless and until he is found guilty in a court of law.
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Being involved in a crash while riding a motorcycle often results in injuries more serious than those those riding in a car, truck or SUV. According to a recent news article from ABC 5 News Boston, a motorcycle rider from Massachusetts was killed in a drunk driving accident.

Authorities say 46-year-old alleged drunk driver turned his car into the path of a motorcycle rider traveling in the opposite direction, and the two motor vehicles collided with each other. Motorcycle operator, a 59-year-old man, died as result of the fatal collision. His daughter, who was riding behind him as a passenger on the motorcycle, was injured in the accident, though her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Authorities also report alleged drunk driver did not remain on the scene, as he attempted to flee at high speed. A witness to the alleged drunk driving accident followed defendant and reported his license plate number and description to the police. Defendant’s vehicle was also damaged in the accident, and witnesses called police when they allegedly saw a car with three wheels driving down the road. Police were able to catch up with defendant, and when they arrived at his location, he had reportedly already fled the car on foot and ran into the woods. At this point, authorities say defendant climbed up a tree, but when their K9 unit located defendant and started barking, he decided to climb back to the ground, and officers placed him under arrest.
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According to a recent news article from The Washington Post, a woman who allegedly called herself the “Pothead Princess” was just convicted of drunk driving resulting in two fatalities and sentenced by the court to 24 years in state prison followed by a long period of probation.

Authorities say defendant Tweeted “2 Drunk 2 Care” before getting behind the wheel of her car and driving at speeds up to 80mph. While driving in the wrong direction on Florida’s Sawgrass Expressway at such high rates of speed, she crashed head-on into a car carrying two 21-year-old women returning from a night out.

One of the victims died on the scene of the fatal drunk driving accident, and the other died several days later at a local hospital. As for defendant, she was underage at the time of accident and did not have a driver’s license. Court records show she consumed two “fishbowl sized” margaritas and also had traces of marijuana in her system at the time of the accident.
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According to a recent report from Huffington Post, former NFL football player Jerramy Stevens was sentenced to jail following a drunk driving conviction. Stevens, now 35-years-old, played for nine years in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring. He is now married to U.S. Woman’s Soccer Team goalkeeper Hope Solo.

Authorities say he was pulled over on January 19, 2015 after driving his van without headlights operating in a suburb of Los Angeles. After being placed under arrest, Stevens refused to take a breath test upon police request. At this point, police obtained a search warrant allowing them to draw Steven’s blood to perform a blood test, and police determined his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was above the legal limit of 0.08 grams of ethanol per 100 milliliters of blood.

Defendant pleaded no contest to driving under the influence and driving with a .08 blood alcohol content (BAC). His sentencing judge sentenced him to 30 days in jail followed by a two-year outpatient alcohol program and four years of probation.
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Actor Dalton Gray, best known for his role as Master Mike on American Horror Story, suffered serious personal injury when an alleged drunk driver crashed into his car in Texas, according to Inquisitir. Dalton is 17-years-old.

Authorities say Gray was riding in a vehicle along with some of his friends when, without warning, another vehicle crashed into the side of their vehicle. This type of crash is typically referred to as being t-boned.

Witnesses say Gray suffered a fractured hip, pelvis, and femur, lacerations and bruises on his face, and substantial eye trauma. It has been reported doctors needed to reconstruct a large portion of Gray’s face and extract shards of glass from one of his eyes. He is currently experiencing serious vision problems in that eye, but ophthalmologists believe he will make a complete recovery with respect to his eyesight.
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Senator Rand Paul has been in the news a lot lately. He is likely going to run for the Republican presidential nomination and has been making many statements in opposition to funding the social security program. This time, he is in the news for a different reason.

According to a recent news article from Lex 18, police arrested Senator Rand Paul’s son, William Paul for allegedly driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol (DUI). Lexington authorities say they arrived at the scene of a car accident and observed William Paul sitting the driver’s seat of a car, which appeared to have crashed into a parked car. Police reported suspect as having bloodshot and watery eyes, behaving a belligerent manner, and having slurred speech.

One witness told police she allegedly saw William Paul sitting in the intersection revving the engine of his vehicle. A few minutes later, witness said she heard a loud crash. It is believed William Paul did not own the vehicle he was allegedly driving, and it was an uninsured motor vehicle.
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Everyone knows how dangerous it is to get behind the wheel while drunk, even though people are still willing risk their own lives and the lives of others on a nightly basis. A new study shows driving while dehydrated may be just as bad as drunk driving, according to a recent news report from Inquisitir.

In a study, drivers who were intoxicated above the legal limit and drivers who were dehydrated made two times as many mistakes as those who were sober and properly hydrated. It should be noted, this was not severe dehydration where the people were risking death, but rather mild dehydration. Researchers wanted to be clear the purpose of their study was not to minimize dangers of drunk driving, but rather the make people aware of a danger with is largely unknown at this time by the general public.

Specifically, even mild dehydration can lead to negative effects on a person’s mood and reduced concentration, alertness problems, short-term memory trouble, fatigue, and headaches. All of the symptoms make it much more difficult to concentrate on driving a motor vehicle safely as to prevent a car accident.
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When we get on an MBTA bus or any other T vehicle, including green line trolleys, we assume the driver will be sober. It is not just passengers who are concerned about the dangers of a drunk mass transit driver, as MBTA policy and United States Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations require drivers to submit to pre-employment drug an alcohol testing, as well as random tests during the course of their employment.
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According to a recent report from My Fox Boston, a Marlborough, Massachusetts district court judge held defendant without bail after he was arrested for his fifth drunk driving arrest. Prosecutors allege 55-year-old defendant was driving his SUV when he crashed into an unmarked police vehicle. His car is said to have struck the passenger side area of the police car. Authorities also alleged defendant’s 14-year-old daughter was also in his SUV at time of the crash. First responders treated his daughter for minor injuries. Police also report the detective allegedly hit by defendant’s car was treated and released from a local hospital.

Court records indicate police administered a series of field sobriety tests, which he reportedly failed. Court records also indicate defendant was convicted of drunk driving in 1982, 1983, 1985, and 1998. In this instance, prosecutors charged defendant with operating under the influence (OUI) of intoxicating liquor fifth offense, as well as child endangerment and other moving violations. Defendant is scheduled for a dangerousness hearing at the Marlborough District Court.

In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, courts generally do not release people on bond, as people are familiar with from TV and other jurisdictions. This is because of a dislike for bail bond recovery agents (bounty hunters) chasing people through the Commonwealth with unlicensed weapons. Instead defendants are generally released on their own personal recognizance, held on small amounts of cash bond, or held without bond after a dangerousness hearing. It is important to note defendant has not been convicted of any crimes in connection with his recent arrested and is presumed innocent unless and until his proven guilty.
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