A Monday morning car crash left one man dead and another seriously injured when a vehicle slammed into a Phoenix bus station. Now authorities say that a suspect has been arrested and is in custody facing criminal charges related to the incident.The 22-year-old driver of a Chevy Impala lost control of her vehicle and swerved to avoid oncoming traffic, veering into a bus stop in the area of 27th Avenue and Indian School Road. The bus stop was destroyed in the collision and one man waiting for the bus was killed. Another man suffered serious injuries and a third person waiting for the bus avoided injury when she ran into the road to avoid the speeding car.
The driver of the car and her passenger fled the scene on foot and avoided capture but the driver turned herself into authorities shortly after the crash. Officers noticed visible signs of impairment in the driver who admitted drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before the collision. She has been charged with second degree murder, aggravated assault, endangerment, and leaving the scene of a fatal crash, which may have resulted after she ran a red light.
Arizona law makes it illegal to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Any person who is under the influence is guilty of violating the law and may be criminally charged as a result. The law presumes that anyone with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or greater is under the influence of alcohol and may face a fine, community service, suspension of a driver’s license, or even incarceration in jail or prison, depending on the nature of the crime and any prior convictions for driving under the influence.
It is harder to determine if someone is influenced by drugs like marijuana at the time of a crash because traces of the drug may stay in someone’s system for longer than the effects last. However the law is clear that a driver is considered under the influence of a drug if the drug or its metabolite is detected in the driver’s system meaning that any presence of drug in a driver’s system, whether or not the driver is actively high, can be a violation.
Drivers who drink or do drugs before operating a vehicle are deadly to themselves, their passengers, and anyone else in their path. The people injured in this crash were bystanders who did not do anything wrong yet suffered as a result of the negligence of a drunk driver.
If you have been injured by a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol, call the Arizona DUI accident attorneys at Abels & Annes, P.C. today for a consultation. We will discuss your injuries and whether you have a claim for your damages, including damage to your vehicle and lost wages you incurred. At Abels & Annes, P.C., we work for you and we make ourselves available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so call us today at (602) 819-5191 or toll free at (855) PHX-LAWYER. We will provide you with a free consultation and there is no fee unless we make a recovery on your behalf.
Prior Blog Entries:
DUI Driver Kills 3-Year-Old, Injures Three Others, Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, published May 6, 2013.
Biker Charged With Manslaughter and DUI in Crash that Killed Passenger, Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, published April 30, 2013.
Resources:
Woman arrested in Phoenix bus stop hit-run, by Mary Drobnik, Arizona Republic-12 News, published May 14, 2013.