Late Saturday night a substance abuse counselor was arrested after alleging killing a man while driving drunk in Torrance, according to a news report on KTLA. The suspect, 51-year-old Sherri Wilkins, is accused of hitting a pedestrian and then driving for roughly two more miles with the victim embedded in her windshield. Witnesses surrounded Wilkins' car at the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and 182nd Street and detained her until police arrived. The 31-year-old victim, Philip Moreno, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. According to the news report, Wilkins' blood-alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit. She is a third-striker according to the news report and has been charged with murder.
A memorial fund has been set up for Moreno and donations may be made at the following:
TCCU (Torrance Community Credit Union)
Phillip Moreno Memorial Fund
Account # 953531-02
(310) 618-9111
Phillip Moreno Memorial Fund
Account # 953531-02
(310) 618-9111
Drunk Driving and Fatal Accidents
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver every single day. This amounts to one death every 48 minutes. In the case above, it is hard to imagine that an experienced substance abuse counselor would not appreciate the risk created when driving impaired. In spite of the good she may have done in the past, Wilkins will likely be remembered for her role in bolstering the fatal DUI statistics mentioned above. This tragic accident was entirely avoidable, and now we can never restore what the Moreno family has lost.
Wrongful Death Compensation In California
Since no criminal conviction and no amount of money will turn back the clock, the only thing we can do as a society to bring justice to the family of someone who died as a result of careless or criminal behavior is to compensate the survivors with money damages. To some extent, at least as far as financial support is concerned, those damages may assist the family members in living the lives they would have enjoyed but for their loved one's death. For example, money can be set up in a structure for young children so they can be provided at least adequate living conditions and an education. For very small children this is often done by way of an annuity purchase that will provide for the children during their minority and even through their early adulthood. Beyond this, surviving family members are entitled to be compensated for the loss of the love, society, care, comfort and affection the decedent would have provided...a difficult task.
In evaluating the potential recovery in a wrongful death case, an experienced personal injury attorney can provide essential guidance. There are no formulas for calculating the value of a lost relationship and it is instead something that can be discerned best by experience with similar cases. Every situation is different, and complicated issues of liability, damages, earning capacity and present value must be carefully addressed.
SOURCE: KTLA News, " Substance Abuse Counselor Charged in Deadly DUI Crash", November 28, 2012.