This time of year, students around the country are celebrating a variety of things, from the festive fall season to the homecomings at their schools. Unfortunately, tragedy sometimes strikes at what are supposed to be the happiest of occasions. Recently in Oklahoma, people were injured after a car plowed into a crowd of people gathered for a homecoming celebration. Even more recently, here in Delaware, a person suspected of drunk driving also crashed into a homecoming crowd, injuring seven people.
While these types of car accidents aren’t common, drunk driving in general is not as rare as everyone would like it to be. Last month at Delaware State University, a 28-year-old male driver from Maryland apparently drove his vehicle into a picnic area and caused serious injury. According to witnesses of the scene, hundreds of people went running after the car plowed into the crowded fraternity area.
The crash purportedly caused a 21-year-old woman to become pinned against a tree, leading to broken ribs, internal injuries and a broken back. That woman was listed in critical condition after the accident; several other people suffered foot injuries and one man experienced a shoulder injury while another woman’s hand was injured.
The driver’s blood alcohol content tested at .11 percent, which is over Delaware’s legal limit of .08 by more than one-third. The man was charged with first-degree vehicular assault, multiple counts of second-degree vehicular assault, DUI and not carrying proof of insurance. The driver may have been a former DSU football player; his preliminary hearing is set for November 6.
Liability in drunk driving accidents may appear to be cut and dry, but victims often need legal help to truly hold drunk drivers accountable. In addition to the criminal justice system, the civil system exists to help victims of others’ negligence or recklessness obtain recovery. A Delaware auto accident attorney can offer legal advice with regard to drunk driving accidents and their victims.
Source: The News Journal, “DSU crash: Driver’s blood alcohol past DUI level,” Robin Brown, Oct. 26, 2015
