Pennsylvania man charged in drunk driving accident

A man police say was intoxicated behind the wheel at the time of a serious car accident is facing an aggravated assault charge, according to local law enforcement. Pennsylvania police have charged the man in connection with the alleged drunk driving accident that happened on I-81 on Nov. 19. The investigation is ongoing at the time of this writing.

According to police, emergency personnel responded to the accident a little after 5 p.m. when it was reported that a man was driving a truck tractor erratically. Apparently two vehicles parked in the right lane were struck by this driver — his vehicle continued onward to overturn. The driver is said to have left the scene of the accident without providing assistance or identification to the emergency personnel on the scene.

The two drivers of the other vehicles were critically injured in the crash and were airlifted to a local hospital. They have not been publicly identified pending notification of next-of-kin. The driver deemed responsible was later found at a local gas station some distance away and was taken into custody, where he remains pending a court date. He faces two counts of DUI-related aggravated assault as well as a number of other charges related to fleeing the scene.

The nature of a drunk driving accident is, of course, that it is preventable. If a driver follows Pennsylvania road laws and does not operate a vehicle while intoxicated, the potential for a serious accident goes down measurably. The injured parties in this particular case are within their rights to file personal injury lawsuits against the driver who has been charged. These suits, which are based upon evidence of negligence deemed to have proximately caused the collision, can proceed regardless of the outcome of the criminal case.

This blog entry was posted on behalf of [nap_names id=”FIRM-NAME-1″], and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the firm or its attorneys. The information presented in this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice.

Source: publicopiniononline.com, Driver in I-81 crash charged with aggravated assault while DUI, No author, Nov. 19, 2013