Car accidents kill and injure many pedestrians and motorists in New York each year. Many of these accidents are, unfortunately, caused by drunk drivers. One driver is under the suspicion of drunk driving after an early morning accident on the highway left two people dead and three people injured. The drunk driver was traveling with three other young people when their car crossed the center line on the highway and collided head-on with another vehicle driven by a 65-year-old oil refinery worker. Two of the passengers in the car that crossed over died, as well as the 65-year-old driver of the other vehicle.
The driver and his front-seat passenger were injured, but it is unclear who was actually driving at the time of the crash. Police reported that they found a beer can in the car and smelled alcohol at the scene. Both individuals have previous convictions. One of the young men had a DUI, while the other had convictions for drugs, thefts and domestic violence.
To figure out who will be held liable for the damages caused by the accident, courts will have to determine who was at fault. If the driver is found to have been driving under the influence of alcohol, courts could find him at fault for the accident. Motorists are required to adhere to a standard of care when operating a motor vehicle. If that standard is not met, the driver could be deemed as negligent and held responsible for all damages.
The 65-year-old driver in this case, who was nearing retirement, has a grieving wife who could not get to her husband in the hospital in time before he passed away. There are measures that she will be able to take to help her move forward with her life. The woman may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver to recover additional damages.
Source: KING 5, “3 killed, 2 injured in suspected drunk driving crash,” Eric Wilkinson, May 23, 2014
