Store Clerks Can Be Charged If Minor Dies in Fatal DUI/DWI Accident | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

An underage individual visited a Family Foods store in Sunbury, North Carolina (NC) and purchased alcohol. This individual wound up dying in a single-car accident later that night. The store clerk who sold the alcohol is now charged with selling to a minor and Family Foods was charged with an administrative violation, according to The Virginian-Pilot.

A similar situation occurred in Lakewood, Colorado (CO) recently when a liquor store owner was charged with 10 counts of selling alcohol to minors who wound up involved in a fatal car wreck. A teen driver received a DUI charge as a result, according to thedenverchannel.com.

Let these incidences be a warning to all liquor stores, grocery stores, and convenience stores that selling to a minor could lead to serious legal ramifications. Always ask for ID. Its challenging to try and visually determine whos underage or not, especially in college-areas like North Carolina and Colorado.

Heres an article written by my colleague Rick Shapiro reviewing the North Carolina laws for DUI/DWI.

Underage drinking remains a major issue in our country. Over 94 percent of high school seniors and nearly 68 percent of eighth graders said alcohol is “very easy” or “fairly easy” to get, according to MADD. We, as taxpayers, take the brunt of this reckless behavior. Underage drinking cost the U.S. over $60 billion in 2005 dollars, according to udetc.com.

With nearly 95 percent of high school seniors saying alcohol is easy to get, this is why a crackdown on store clerks is so important. All businesses must understand the severity of selling alcohol to a minor. Not only should asking for an ID be necessary, but thoroughly examining the ID is essential. Dont accept just a simple flash of a poorly designed fake ID. Take a moment to look it over and make sure the ID is authentic.

We have to take this issue seriously. Tomorrows leaders are being taken from us far too soon due to fatal car crashes stemming from drinking and driving. An important way to curb these incidences is to cut off the supply by making sure every store clerk understands that selling alcohol to minors will not be tolerated.