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Elderly Man Faces DUI Manslaughter Charges in Fatal Car Accident Near West Palm Beach

A 67-year-old man pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter stemming from a 2008 crash, reports the Sun Sentinel.

Our West Palm Beach personal injury lawyers know the senseless tragedy that comes at the hands of drunk drivers. We frequently represent victims whose lives have been changed forever as a result of a drunk driving accident in South Florida.

The Boynton Beach man’s guilty plea also included six other charges that came from the horrific wrong-way crash on Interstate 95 back in 2008. He faces at least four years in prison; sentencing will be later this summer.

Witness reported seeing the 67-year-old driver traveling southbound on I-95 in the Boca Raton area. For no apparent reason he stopped, made a u-turn and proceeded to drive northbound in the southbound lane.

As his vehicle headed toward southbound traffic many vehicles had to swerve out of his way. Sadly, a pickup that had to swerve to avoid a head on collision slid off the right shoulder and rolled over several times.

Police reported that 3 of the 5 truck passengers were thrown from the vehicle, killing one and injuring two others.

Oblivious to his actions, the driver continued traveling northbound in the southbound lane and eventually crashed his Jaguar head on into a large SUV. Police reported that his blood alcohol content (BAC) was nearly double the legal limit, which in Florida is .08.

In 2008 when this accident occurred, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported 11,773 people died in alcohol impaired driving crashes.

The 2009 statistics from the NHTSA shows a 7.4% decrease in fatalities from alcohol impaired driving accidents. Though it is an improvement it still meant that almost 11,000 people lost their lives to impaired drivers.

Florida’s alcohol related traffic fatalities have gotten worse since 2008, fatalities having a BAC=.08+ went from 29% in 2008 to 30% in 2009 and fatalities having a BAC=.15+ went from 20% in 2008 to 21% in 2009. Overall 35% of Florida’s alcohol-related traffic fatalities have some amount of alcohol in their system which indicates a steady increase since 2006.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an alcohol-related car accident in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach or the surrounding areas, contact the personal injury lawyers at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez, LLC. Call for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights at 1-800-529-2368.

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