New York accident victims face life after drunk driving crash

A single-car crash sometimes has little impact beyond the driver of that one car. Sometimes, however, the impact is widespread because of passengers in that car. That’s the case with a recent one-car crash into a guardrail of a New York highway.

A 20-year-old drunk driver, out for the evening with five friends, was driving in excess of 100 miles per hour when he lost control and crashed creating a car accident that turned deadly. Two of the three passengers thrown from the backseat of the car died at the scene of the accident. One of those who died was a 17-year old mother of a 1-year-old girl. The other was the 18-year old father, who flew over the wall and landed on the shoulder of the road.

Authorities rushed the third backseat passenger, a 17-year-old boy found on the ground near the crushed vehicle, to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. A fourth backseat passenger, the reckless driver, and another young man all suffered minor injuries. Authorities took the surviving passengers to the same hospital. They treated the driver at the scene of the accident before taking him into custody.

At the police station, he was booked on several charges including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and driving while impaired. Though his blood-alcohol content did not exceed the legal limit of 0.08 percent, it registered in excess of 0.06 percent.

People never expect an innocent outing with friends to turn into such a tragedy. When it does, it’s a shock to all those involved. While it’s a painful situation, it’s important for people to seek proper legal advice to ensure they receive sufficient medical treatment and financial compensation for lost wages, etc. In this case, competent legal representation is especially important for the guardians of the 1-year-old girl who now will go through her whole life without her parents.