Ventura County Drunk Driving Accident Trial Under Way

A 23-year-old man is on trial in Ventura County on murder charges related to an alcohol-linked car accident that occurred in 2006.

On October 28th that year, Lester Varnum allegedly drove a truck into two men one of whom was killed. David Sosa died in the collision while Felipe Arujo was injured. Arujo has testified that Varnum was driving the car that slammed into him and Sosa. According to Arujo’s testimony he, Varnum, Sosa and another man called Noe Lopez were drinking at the restaurant where they worked after it had closed for the night. Varnum was intoxicated, and the three men decided to drive him home. They dropped Varnum outside his front door but he was unable to get into the house because nobody was home. Apparently, the men then decided that Lopez would drive Sosa and Arujo home, and would return the truck back to Varnum the next day.

When the three got back into the truck, Varnum flew into a rage. According to Arujo, the inebriated man believed that the three were trying to steal his truck. Varnum pulled open the door of the truck and in a fit of rage, dragged Lopez out. The two began to fight. When Varnum was finally overpowered, the three began to walk back home, leaving Varnum and his truck behind. Varnum didn’t let the matter rest there. He got back into the truck and drove after the three men. According to Arujo, he and Sosa began to run but they couldn’t outrun the truck. Varnum slammed the truck into Sosa and Arujo. Sosa died instantly.

Varnum is claiming a head injury that caused him to lose consciousness and strike his car against the two men. His attorney insists that his client was kicked in the head by Lopez during the fight, and lost consciousness for a while. Apparently, he was not aware of his actions when he ran over Sosa. According to the attorney, he was not conscious even though he “appeared to be functional.”

Varnum has his rights to his defense, however, this seems like a case of road rage gone horribly far. Road rage can be defined as aggressive driving by a motorist that can cause harm to other motorists. It can run the gamut from cursing and yelling at other motorists and making rude gestures at them, to trying to run a driver off the road, cutting them off unexpectedly and other potentially dangerous behaviors.

A driver in the throes of road rage may slam on the brakes suddenly, causing a motorist behind them to crash into their vehicle. Every year, there are hundreds and thousands of instances where motorists lose their cool on the road attempting to take out their frustrations on fellow motorists. Taken to the extreme, road rage can lead to severe injuries and even fatalities. Pedestrians and bicyclists seem to be the focus of road rage-related accidents more frequently than drivers of other vehicles.

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 accident. 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.