Drunk drivers are a menace to California travelers, as well as to all communities throughout the United States. Thousands of deaths occur each year because of the irresponsible choices people make to consume alcohol and get behind the wheel of their cars to drive. A recent fatal collision occurred in the wee hours of the morning when a U.S. Airforce veteran and police officer was on his way to work.
The officer was traveling by motorcycle. Another vehicle suddenly approached him, headed in the wrong direction on the highway. The vehicle hit the police officer. He initially survived his injuries and was transported to a local hospital for emergency care but later died.
The driver of the other vehicle was arrested for suspected intoxication
A 31-year-old man was taken into police custody after the tragic collision that took the local police officer’s life. It was not the first time the man had been arrested nor would it be the first time he would face drunk driving charges. After facing similar charges in the past, the man had pleaded no contest and was sentenced to informal probation. Following the recent wrong-way collision, he is now facing numerous felony DUI charges.
In cases where a fatality occurs in a collision, an immediate family member of a decedent may pursue justice by filing a wrongful death claim in a civil court against the person or people deemed responsible for the collision that resulted in his or her loved one’s death. A plaintiff in a wrongful death case is tasked with presenting evidence in court that shows that the defendant was negligent and that his or her negligence was a direct cause of the fatality that occurred. Most people hire experienced personal injury law attorneys to speak and act on their behalf in court, which typically helps alleviate the stress that a plaintiff might experience in the courtroom when details of a loved one’s death are spoken about in a public manner.