Last Thursday, a head-on collision involving a suspected drunk driver in Muscoy (a small town in San Bernardino County) took two young lives who were riding in the same car. According to the Press Enterprise, the crash occurred at about 10:00 p.m. on Cajon Boulevard, just south of Fifth Avenue. The two victims, Ismael Ramires Mejia, 26, and his 19-year-old passenger, Lauriano Mejia Ramirez, were traveling southbound in a Nissan Maxima when their vehicle was struck by a northbound Dodge pickup truck. The driver of the truck, 36-year-old Felix Roman Nava, has been arrested for investigation of drunken driving and vehicular manslaughter.
Drunk Driving Statistics
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 10,000 people die each year in accidents involving an alcohol-impaired driver. That equates to one person being killed by a drunk driver every 51 minutes. Not too surprisingly, given these numbers, an estimated 4 million adults reported driving while impaired in 2010. According to the United States Department of Transportation, in spite of the still shocking numbers, there have actually been fewer and fewer alcohol-related fatal accidents in the last three years. Accidents like the one above, however, are a shocking reminder that we still have a long way to go in terms of preventing these senseless tragedies.
Remedies for Those Impacted
When an drunk driver causes an injury-accident, the victims have a number of civil remedies available to them. While the criminal justice system will take care of punishing the offenders, the civil justice system is available to compensate (to the extent possible) the victims and their families. Personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits are often the only way someone victimized by a drunk driver will have a chance to get their life back on track. Monetary compensation can at least take the financial burden off of the victims, and place it where it belongs, on the drunk driver.
If you have been injured or a family member has been killed by a drunk driver, contacting a personal injury attorney who handles such cases is an important first step toward obtaining compensation.
SOURCE: MUSCOY: Motorist jailed in DUI wreck that killed 2, the Press Enterprise, June 24, 2013, by Richard Brooks
It boggles my mind to know that a person is killed by some drunk driver every 51 minutes. It’s a shocking reminder that we still have a long way to go in terms of preventing these senseless tragedies. Being caught with DUI can be very stressful but there are attorneys who can request the court to reduce your punishments or even acquit you from your DUI case. My friend who is a Los Angeles DUI lawyer has helped many of his clients.
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