Articles Posted in Drunk Driving Accidents

A 67-year-old man pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter stemming from a 2008 crash, reports the Sun Sentinel.

Our West Palm Beach personal injury lawyers know the senseless tragedy that comes at the hands of drunk drivers. We frequently represent victims whose lives have been changed forever as a result of a drunk driving accident in South Florida.

The Boynton Beach man’s guilty plea also included six other charges that came from the horrific wrong-way crash on Interstate 95 back in 2008. He faces at least four years in prison; sentencing will be later this summer.

Witness reported seeing the 67-year-old driver traveling southbound on I-95 in the Boca Raton area. For no apparent reason he stopped, made a u-turn and proceeded to drive northbound in the southbound lane.

As his vehicle headed toward southbound traffic many vehicles had to swerve out of his way. Sadly, a pickup that had to swerve to avoid a head on collision slid off the right shoulder and rolled over several times.

Police reported that 3 of the 5 truck passengers were thrown from the vehicle, killing one and injuring two others.

Oblivious to his actions, the driver continued traveling northbound in the southbound lane and eventually crashed his Jaguar head on into a large SUV. Police reported that his blood alcohol content (BAC) was nearly double the legal limit, which in Florida is .08.

In 2008 when this accident occurred, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported 11,773 people died in alcohol impaired driving crashes.

The 2009 statistics from the NHTSA shows a 7.4% decrease in fatalities from alcohol impaired driving accidents. Though it is an improvement it still meant that almost 11,000 people lost their lives to impaired drivers.

Florida’s alcohol related traffic fatalities have gotten worse since 2008, fatalities having a BAC=.08+ went from 29% in 2008 to 30% in 2009 and fatalities having a BAC=.15+ went from 20% in 2008 to 21% in 2009. Overall 35% of Florida’s alcohol-related traffic fatalities have some amount of alcohol in their system which indicates a steady increase since 2006.
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Former Yankees star Jim Leyritz is set to stand trial this week in a Broward County courtroom on charges in connection with a fatal Fort Lauderdale drunk driving accident.

The family of the victim has already collected a wrongful death settlement from Leyritz, despite the fact that the former major league player is reportedly broke and that the victim was determined to also be legally drunk at the time of the accident. Florida’s comparative negligence system permits a victim to collect damages even if he or she is partly at-fault in the accident. Victims who feel they do not have a case because of their own actions should always consult a Fort Lauderdale injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Leyritz is accused of running a red light while driving drunk three years ago. The resulting accident killed a 30-year-old Plantation mother of two who was on her way home from her job as a bartender. The former ball player had been out celebrating his 44th birthday prior to the December 2007 accident. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

In settling the wrongful death lawsuit, his insurance company agreed to pay the $250,000 policy limits and Leyritz will pay the family $1,000 a month for 100 months. He played 11 seasons in the major leagues and helped the Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves in the 1996 World Series. But more recently he has been forced to apply for support from a charity funded by current players that assists former players in need.

The Palm Beach Post reports that the judge has ruled inadmissible evidence that the victim was drunk, not wearing her seat belt and was receiving text messages at the time of the accident.
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