Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog
A Massachusetts woman was recently arrested for driving her minivan drunk at 111 mph.
This news comes from a recent news article published by the Franklin Sun Journal.
Authorities say the incident occurred late on a Sunday afternoon. A state trooper clocked her speed as she passed him on a stretch of road where the speed limit is 55 mph. When she allegedly failed to stop immediately for his activated lights and sirens, he gave chase.
After eventually getting driver to pull over, trooper approached her vehicle and immediately suspected she was under the influence of alcohol. At the state trooper’s barracks, he administered a breath alcohol test on defendant, and she reportedly blew a 0.14. As our Boston drunk driving accident lawyers understand, this is nearly two times the state and federal legal limit of 0.08 grams of ethanol per 100 milliliters of blood.
State police charged defendant with drunk driving and criminal speeding. While most speeding offenses are considered civil moving violations, which are not considered criminal charges and do not carry criminal penalties, excessive speeding or reckless driving can be charged by police or prosecutors as a criminal offense.
After booking defendant, a magistrate released her on a $300 surety bond. It is important to note, defendant has not been convicted of any crime in connection with this matter and is presumed innocent unless and until she is found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Luckily, there was no accident in this case; however, it is not hard to imagine how much damage a minivan traveling over 110mph could do to another car or pedestrian.
Many drunk drivers do not even think about the possibility of getting into an accident. As is evident from the huge number of anti-drunk driving ad campaigns, most frequent drunk drivers are only worried about getting arrested. That is the fear public safety campaign managers are playing on when they use catchy slogans like “you just blew $10,000” next to an image of someone blowing in a breath testing instrument.
Sadly, the reality is drunk driving causes tens of thousands of deaths each year and many more cases of serious personal injury. This injury sometimes involves the drunk driver, but often involves innocent, sober occupants of other vehicles and innocent pedestrians.
Drunk driving is not only against the law, it is also a basis for filing a car accident negligence lawsuit, and, if you are involved in an accident caused by an alleged drunk driver, you should contact an experienced drunk driving accident lawyer as soon as possible to discuss whether you have a valid claim to file a car accident lawsuit.
It is very important to speak with an attorney before making any statements to an insurance company, and especially before agreeing to take any money from an insurance company, as you will be required to sign a general release of liability, which will preclude you from collecting any additional money as compensation for your losses.
If you have been injured in a Boston drunk driving accident, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Massachusetts woman accused of driving minivan 111 mph , May 3, 2015, Franklin Sun Journal More Blog Entries:
Preparing Responsible Servers for the Upcoming Holiday Season, November 17, 2013, Boston Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Blog