The Mohave County Sheriff’s Department reported an incident on Saturday evening involving a driver under the influence of alcohol. The 56-year-old Kingman man was reportedly driving 89 miles per hour in an area with a speed limit of 65. When deputies pulled the man over, they detected the smell of alcohol and questioned the man about it. Reportedly, the man admitted to drinking a six pack of beer before driving that evening.
The deputies put the driver through a field sobriety test which the driver reportedly failed. He was taken into custody and tests later revealed his blood alcohol content to be 0.253, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08.
While driving under the influence and speeding are bad enough, even worse is that the man allegedly had his 10 and 12 year old daughters in the car with him at the time. Fortunately, this driver was apprehended before a collision occurred and anyone was injured.
Too often, though, drunk drivers are not caught until after a crash. Speeding often occurs in tandem with drunk driving which can make any collision more deadly. Drunk drivers not only put their own safety at risk but also the safety of their passengers, other drivers, bicyclists and even pedestrians. When a driver is drunk, everyone on the road is at risk for injury.
Every year, more than 250 people are killed in Arizona in drunk driving collisions. Many of these fatalities – nearly 75 percent – occur in urban areas. A driver in Arizona cannot drive under the influence of alcohol or any intoxicating compound, including drugs, and the driver is guilty of a crime if he does. What many may not realize is that a blood alcohol content of 0.08 creates a presumption that a driver is influenced by alcohol and therefore guilty of driving under the influence. In reality, a driver can be guilty of a violation of the law with any amount of alcohol in his system as long as that alcohol influences the driver’s ability to drive. This means that if a driver hurts another person in a car crash while under the influence of any amount of alcohol, he can be liable for the injuries in addition to any criminal charges levied by the State.
If you have been the victim of a car crash with a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol, call the Phoenix DUI injury attorneys at Abels & Annes, P.C. today and let us provide you with a free telephone consultation. We know how devastating these accidents can be and how these crashes can change your entire life and that is why we only represent victims and never those drivers who caused the crash. At Abels & Annes, P.C., we have experience representing hundreds of victims of drunk driving crashes and we are ready to represent you. Call us today at (602) 819-5191 or toll free at (855) PHX-LAWYER and let us help you get the recovery you deserve.
Prior Blog Entries:
Driver Arrested With BAC More Than 4 Times Legal Limit, Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, published July 3, 2013.
2 Dead After Tucson Car Crash, Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, published July 2, 2013.
Resources:
Deputies: Drunk driver’s BAC was 3x legal limit, www.myfoxphoenix.com, published July 8, 2013.