Virginia: Drunk Driver Kills 3 Returning From Family Reunion | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

Three members of an extended family lost their lives in a head-on collision in the town of Keller, Virginia (VA), that is being blamed on another driver who was impaired by alcohol. The deadly crash occurred at the intersection of U.S. 13 and First Street on the Eastern Shore, and three other people suffered serious injuries that required hospital treatment. One of the deceased victims and all of the injured survivors were children between the ages of 8 and 13 years.

 

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According to WAVY-TV 10, the people who died and got injured were returning south from a family reunion. The at-fault driver crossed the center line of the highway and hit the victims’ oncoming car. He did not get hurt, but he was arrested at the scene and jailed on charges of DUI and involuntary manslaughter. 

The wreck was the third fatal head-on on the Eastern Shore within a one-month period. Multiple factors can cause a driver to lose control of his or her vehicle and cross into the wrong lane, including fatigue and illness. Being drunk or high on drugs is often the underlying cause of a head-on. It is never an excusable one.

My Virginia Beach-based personal injury and wrongful death law firm colleagues and I pride ourselves on only going to court against drunk or drugged drivers. We never defend anyone from DUI/DWI charges. We have seen in hundreds of cases the damage and irreversible loss impaired drivers inflict on other people. Regardless of how the criminal charges against the man who caused the fatal accident in Keller get resolved, we hope the family members of the people he killed and injured are able to hold him accountable through civil and insurance claims.

EJL