Our Boston drunk driving accident lawyers understand the devastating effects a drunk driving collision can have on victims.
Court papers indicate that the defendant’s car allegedly swerved into oncoming traffic and hit another car. Witnesses say the impact was so great that the road surface was gouged.
After the accident, during interrogation, the defendant told police that she went out for a drive to clear her head after having a fight with her boyfriend. She admitted to authorities that she had four shots of alcohol and half a beer. At the time of her arrest, her blood alcohol concentration was .10 grams per 100 millimeters of blood. The legal limit in every state including the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is .08, so the defendant was allegedly over the legal limit.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has conducted extensive research on how alcohol affects the human body and one’s ability to drive a motor vehicle. According to NHTSA, a driver with a BAC of .10 would exhibit a clear deterioration in reaction time and control, slurred speech, coordination difficulties, and problems thinking clearly. With respect to driving behavior, NHTSA predicts, based upon many studies, that there would be difficulty maintaining proper position in the lane of travel (swerving into the other lane) and trouble breaking properly.
As we have discussed in other blogs, it is often the case that your civil case may take a backseat to any criminal proceedings. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Your attorney can help you through the process and help you to deal with prosecutors who may need you as a witness. If the defendant is convicted of drunk driving, and any charges related to the injury or death of a victim, it will very difficult for the defendant’s insurance company to deny liability.
The most important thing you as a victim can do is make sure that you speak with a car accident attorney as soon as possible. You will be asked to make a lot of statements to insurance companies and the police. A prosecutor for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office will also contact you if the accident happened in Boston. They may also have a victim/witness advocate from their office contact you. It is important to note that all of these people may have their own interests involved and those interests may not be whether you can successfully recover in a car accident lawsuit.
If you have been injured in a Boston drunk driving accident, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Noblesville woman, 22, accused in fatal drunk driving crash appears in court, August 12, 2014, Fox59.com
More Blog Entries:
MADD Working with NFL Teams to Curb Drunk Driving, July 11, 2014, Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog