Rear-End Crash Caused by Drunk Driver Kills Moped Rider | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

A rear-end collision being blamed on a drunk SUV driver left a moped passenger dead in Craven County, North Carolina (NC), on September 4, 2014. The fatal accident occurred shortly before noon near the interchange between U.S. 17 and Route 55 in the town of Bridgeton. The man operating the moped sustained critical injuries, but the at-fault driver of the larger vehicle was not hurt.

 

 

This deadly crash illustrates the unspeakable damage drivers impaired by drugs and alcohol can inflict on other people regardless of the time of day or location. It also highlights risks faced by moped riders. As the number of these motorized scooters continues to rise, so do reports of crashes in which the people using them suffer disabling and life-taking injuries.

My Carolina personal injury and wrongful death law firm colleagues and I have helped dozens of victims of accidents involving cars or trucks and mopeds or motorcycles. The most common excuse we have hear from the individuals who caused the crashes is that they did not see the two-wheeled vehicle. That is never enough to relieve the person of liability because simply being more careful and cautious would have prevented the collision.

Getting high or drunk and then driving and hurting or killing another person — it should go without saying — also cannot ever be excused. DUI/DWI compounds the difficulty too many drivers already profess to have with spotting mopeds and motorcycles. Impairment can also make taking appropriate actions to protect the health and safety of others nearly impossible.

EJL