What Happened: A man has been charged with reckless driving and driving under the influence, among other things, after his car slammed into four state trooper vehicles on U.S. Highway 29, according to carolinalive.com. The crash, which occurred as the at-fault driver was exiting Interstate 485, came about as the driver sped onto Highway 29 and ran into four state trooper patrol cars. Two of the troopers suffered injuries. The driver, whose blood alcohol content was almost double the legal limit at 0.14 percent, was also charged with child abuse due to his nine-year-old son’s being in the car with him.
Drunk driving may be the most reckless and irresponsible thing a motorist can do on the road; it is an incredibly dangerous practice that puts everyone—other motorists, passengers and the driver themselves—at risk. Blood alcohol content laws are supposed to ensure that drivers do not operate vehicles after consuming an unsafe amount of alcohol; the fact that the at-fault driver had nearly double the limit shows how careless he was, especially given the presence of his young son in the car. The state troopers who were injured almost certainly have grounds to file a personal injury claim against this negligent driver.
Our law firm has handled many cases concerning drunk drivers. However, our practice does not defend drunk drivers; we sue them. The behavior is so reckless and endangering that we make sure to work as hard as we can on our clients’ behalf to recover any damages due to a D.U.I. or D.W.I. injury.
Thankfully, in the above-mentioned story, nobody was killed. However, if the unthinkable has happened, and you’ve lost a loved one in a car accident due to a drunk driver or another type of careless motorist behavior, you may have grounds to file a wrongful death claim against the at-fault driver. If you’ve suffered such a terrible tragedy, our deepest sympathies are with you; we know how painful and emotionally traumatic the loss of a loved one is. The injury lawyers at our North Carolina firm have published a guide explaining the wrongful death claim process, which you can download here.