A 27-year-old woman was under the influence of alcohol when she crashed her car into several parked vehicles, fatally injuring a man who was sitting inside one of them. According to a report on Patch.com, Nassau police said the woman was driving a sedan west on Front Street at Hendrickson Avenue in Hempstead when she hit multiple parked vehicles.
Fatality and Major Injuries
A 29-year-old man from Massapequa, who was sitting inside one of the parked vehicles, was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Two passengers in the woman’s vehicle were seriously injured as well. A third passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The driver was also admitted to an area hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries.
She has been charged with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter, four counts of vehicular assault, three counts of third-degree assault, reckless endangerment and reckless driving. She is expected to be arraigned after being released from the hospital. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims here who have been affected by this horrific crash.
The Dangers of Driving Under the Influence
According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), each day, 28 people in the United States die in crashes involving drunk drivers. That amounts to one person every 52 minutes. In 2019, even as these deaths plummeted to the lowest percentage since 1982 when NHTSA started reporting this data, 10,142 people lost their lives in DUI collisions.
Alcohol and drugs have the potential to diminish brain function leading to impaired thinking, poor judgment and bad coordination – which are all skills and abilities crucial for operating a vehicle safely. As alcohol levels increase in a person’s system, the negative effects on the central nervous system increase.
Alcohol is directly absorbed through the walls of the stomach and the small intestine. Then it passes into the bloodstream where it is metabolized by the liver. It is illegal to operate with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% in New York. However, it is important to remember that even small amounts of alcohol can impair driving ability. In 2018, NHTSA reports that 1,878 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes where drivers had alcohol levels between 0.01 and 0.07.
In addition to facing criminal charges and penalties, impaired drivers can be held financially liable for the injuries, damages and losses they cause. If an impaired driver was on the job at the time of the accident, his or her employer can also be held liable.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Victims who have been injured as the result of someone else’s negligence (carelessness) and/or wrongdoing may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the individual and/or entity that caused their car accident and seek compensation for medical expenses, lost income and benefits, hospitalization, cost of rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, long-term care, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families that have lost loved ones may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the negligent parties seeking compensation as well.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident or pedestrian accident, or if you have lost a loved one in an auto accident caused by a negligent (careless) driver, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
For nearly 50 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and/or medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://patch.com/new-york/malverne-lynbrook/woman-charged-manslaughter-after-fatal-long-island-crash