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Personal Injury Blog

Oceanside Man Sentenced in Deadly Drunk Driving Accident

Last December, 24-year-old Michael Wright was driving intoxicated when he crashed his car, killing a little girl in his car.  Wright has now been sentenced to 4 years in prison.

On August 3^rd 2009, Wright was driving a Lexus in Oceanside.  He had been to a memorial service with his girlfriend where they had had a few drinks.  As they drove back, with the girlfriend’s nine-year-old daughter in the back seat, Wright crashed the Lexus into two other cars and a truck.   The little girl died at the scene.

After the crash, it was found that Wright’s blood alcohol level was .17 to .18, which is more than twice the legal limit for alcohol. In December, Wright pleaded guilty to charges of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

The death is a tragic reminder of the destruction that drunk driving can wreak. It’s also a reminder to drunk driving accident lawyers in California that we need to continue and intensify efforts against drunk driving. Annually, about a thousand people die in drunk driving crashes in California state. Nationwide, the death toll from drunk driving accidents accounts for 30 percent of all the auto accident fatalities on American roads.

However, the battle against drunk driving can be won. Several state law enforcement agencies around the country have shown to be innovative and have a strong will in dealing with motorists who think nothing of driving when they are in no condition to do so.  The California Highway Patrol in collaboration with a number of other state and county law enforcement agencies, have made great strides in controlling DUI crash rates in California.

However, accidents like the one here that resulted in the tragic death of a nine year old, show that there still need to be efforts made in this direction.  Last month, this blog discussed efforts by state enforcement agencies to increase the number of sobriety checkpoints in the state over the next year.  There will be a larger numbers of sobriety checkpoints to crack down on drunken drivers, and these patrols will involve a greater numbers of officers.

A drunk driver who causes a serious or fatal accident can expect to have civil as well as criminal action taken against them.  Victims of drunk driving accidents in California state may be able to hold the person responsible for the accident liable for their actions in a civil court.  While the criminal action can punish the person for his or her negligence and reckless driving, the civil lawsuit can help recover compensation for the victims’ losses. In case of a fatal accident, the survivors of the deceased including the decedent’s spouse, children, parents and others may be eligible to file a wrongful death claim against the drunk driver.  Damages in wrongful death claims can include funeral and burial expenses, the financial support that the victim would have provided to the survivors had he lived and other damages.  A wrongful death lawyer will be able to help you file a claim.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of drunk driving accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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