What Happened: According to a story on digtriad.com, an intoxicated driver ran off the road and into a police officer’s patrol car in High Point, North Carolina. The crash occurred in the early evening on the 700 block of Greensboro Road; the officer was stationary in a parking lot and working on reports when the impaired driver sped off the road and crashed into her car. The driver, which police reported was intoxicated with something other than alcohol, was taken to the hospital; he has been presented with several charges due to the crash.
Here is the location of the incident on Greensboro Road:
Driving while intoxicated, no matter what the substance, is a serious and dangerous business; being personal injury lawyers, we can attest to the damages and destruction this irresponsible behavior can cause. Drunk driving in particular causes an enormous number of car accidents, injuries and death every year. Because intoxicated drivers are so reckless and irresponsible, our law firm does not defend drunk drivers; we sue them in order to recover just compensation for their victims. If you’ve been injured by an impaired driver, you should consider speaking to an injury attorney; you will need the help in determining your rights to legal redress.
Thankfully, many people take impaired driving seriously and are working on ways to reduce it. Mothers Against Drunk Driving is one such organization; as well, recently the business Takata-TruTouch began to develop a type of infrared light that can determine a driver’s B.A.C. (blood alcohol content); this product would be more reliable and less easy to manipulate than would the standard “breathalyzers” that are placed in motorists’ cars in order to prevent them from being able to start their vehicle.
There is also a statutory provision that makes bars and restaurants liable for any accidents caused by drunk drivers leaving their premises. Because some studies show that such laws can reduce drunk driving fatalities by up to 5%, it’s arguably worth enacting them in order to save the lives of those taken by such tragedies (Virginia is one of the few states that does not have these laws).