A 53-year-old woman pled guilty to vehicular manslaughter charges earlier today in connection with a fatal DUI collision on December 7th. According to the Press Enterprise, the Defendant, Theresa Jean Estes, may face up to 10 years in prison for the crash that took the life of an 18-year-old girl, Ashleigh Brooks of Lake Elsinore. The incident occurred when Estes pulled out in front of Brooks on Highway 74 Spring Street, near the City of Perris. The cars collided and then Brooks' Honda was involved in a secondary collision with a truck. Brooks had been headed home for a birthday dinner at the time of this tragic crash.
DUI Crashes Occur With Alarming Frequency
According to the story above, the drunk driver was apparently on probation for a prior DUI conviction at the time of the December 7th collision. If that were not enough, her own family lost one of its members - her father - in an alcohol related accident. In spite of all this, Estes got behind the wheel of her car drunk and took the life of a teenaged girl. The prevalence of accidents caused by impaired drivers is difficult to understand when so much information is available to the general public about the enormous suffering such behavior can cause. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that in 2010 more than 10,000 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. That number represents nearly one-third (31%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. Not too surprisingly, as as demonstrated by the case above, drivers with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08% or higher involved in fatal crashes were four times more likely to have a prior conviction for DUI than were drivers with no alcohol in their system.
Civil and Criminal Responsibility
In every DUI crash involving injury to an innocent victim, the impaired driver owes a debt to society as a whole (theoretically paid via a criminal conviction) and to the particular victim and their family by way of a personal injury or wrongful death claim. Issues of liability against the alleged DUI driver are typically straight forward, but the claims can be mired because of comparative negligence on the part of the victim and complex issues of damage assessment. A personal injury attorney with a long history of handling these cases can be of valuable assistance in taking the necessary steps to protect your rights and ensure optimal compensation. Contacting an Orange County auto accident attorney is often the first step toward obtaining civil justice.
SOURCE: PERRIS: Woman pleads guilty in DUI crash that killed teen, Press Enterprise, December 12, 2012, Sarah Burge
DUI Crashes Occur With Alarming Frequency
According to the story above, the drunk driver was apparently on probation for a prior DUI conviction at the time of the December 7th collision. If that were not enough, her own family lost one of its members - her father - in an alcohol related accident. In spite of all this, Estes got behind the wheel of her car drunk and took the life of a teenaged girl. The prevalence of accidents caused by impaired drivers is difficult to understand when so much information is available to the general public about the enormous suffering such behavior can cause. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that in 2010 more than 10,000 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. That number represents nearly one-third (31%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. Not too surprisingly, as as demonstrated by the case above, drivers with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08% or higher involved in fatal crashes were four times more likely to have a prior conviction for DUI than were drivers with no alcohol in their system.
Civil and Criminal Responsibility
In every DUI crash involving injury to an innocent victim, the impaired driver owes a debt to society as a whole (theoretically paid via a criminal conviction) and to the particular victim and their family by way of a personal injury or wrongful death claim. Issues of liability against the alleged DUI driver are typically straight forward, but the claims can be mired because of comparative negligence on the part of the victim and complex issues of damage assessment. A personal injury attorney with a long history of handling these cases can be of valuable assistance in taking the necessary steps to protect your rights and ensure optimal compensation. Contacting an Orange County auto accident attorney is often the first step toward obtaining civil justice.
SOURCE: PERRIS: Woman pleads guilty in DUI crash that killed teen, Press Enterprise, December 12, 2012, Sarah Burge
A wrongful death attorney serves the needs of a family throughout one of the most tragic experiences through which they can go. In simplest terms, a wrongful death occurs when a family member is killed by the actions of a third party. A wrongful death attorney will pursue this third party and obtain compensation for the family's loss.
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