Drinking and driving is never a good idea and any time that a person consumes alcohol, they become a danger to every motorist on the road. Even when a person thinks that they are okay to drive, their senses may still be impaired to the point where driving is a danger. Unfortunately, despite the obvious and terrible dangers of drinking and driving, some still choose to make that bad decision and, as a recent Orange County crash shows, sometimes irreparably change the lives of others in the process.
An elderly man died and his wife and daughter both suffered injuries after a pickup truck broadsided their vehicle. The accident occurred at about 12:15 p.m. as the elderly man was driving his vehicle out of a parking lot at a local restaurant. The pickup truck smashed into the side of the vehicle and the elderly man died from the impact.
The deceased man’s wife and daughter were taken to a hospital for treatment. Paramedics also took the pickup truck driver to the hospital; police held him in custody and were investigating him for a DUI charge.
If the pickup truck driver was in fact driving while under the influence of alcohol, the deceased man’s family can use this as evidence that he was driving negligently and caused the fatal car accident.
This accident is still under investigation, so it unclear whether the pickup truck driver will face criminal charges or a civil lawsuit. However, in other cases where there is evidence available that a drunk driver caused an accident, the victims can pursue legal claims to recover medical expenses and other damages related to the accident.
Source: Orange County Register, “Elderly man killed in Buena Park car crash,” Jordan Graham, May 10, 2015