Alcohol was linked to a crash in West Virginia (WV) at the start of the July 4th holiday. The Herald-Dispatch reported how a 20-year-old was arrested and charged with a DUI causing injury, according to dispatchers in Cabell County, West Virginia (WV), and booking records at the Western Regional Jail. The crash occurred at 1:15 am on July 2, 2011 on the 5th Street Hill bridge over I-64.
Cabell County 911 dispatchers told the newspaper that underage driver was traveling south across the bridge when he swerved across a median. His vehicle then flipped and it landed on an SUV heading in the opposite direction. One person in the SUV was taken to a local hospital. Fortunately, in this case, the victim’s injuries do not appear to have been serious.
The accident occurred just 30 minutes after another in which a pickup truck and a sedan hit each other head-on while traveling on WV 2. Although one person was trapped, no serious injuries were sustained.
As experienced Virginia beach personal injury attorneys we see far too many accidents that are linked to alcohol. The roads can be particularly dangerous around holidays such as July 4 when alcohol has been consumed and we have reported on a number of fatal accidents linked to alcohol in Virginia (VA) over the Fourth of July weekend. This problem can be particularly acute in beach areas such as Virginia Beach, VA, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina (NC).
Sadly, many people fail to realize the importance of safety during holiday parties. When you decide to go out for a holiday weekend, it is always important to determine before you leave who will be your designated driver early in the night.
Police in Virginia are always looking out for drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Virginia is seeing a similar crackdown on drunken boating as our waterways become increasingly busy. If you are getting behind the wheel after a few drinks, think again. It’s not worth the risk to yourself and to others.
DM