When people are charged and convicted of drinking and driving in Tennessee, there may be a good chance that they are a repeat offender and have been convicted of a DUI before.

Such is the case with a 28-year-old man from Nashville who decided to climb behind the wheel of a vehicle after drinking. As a result, the man was charged with vehicular assault, failure to render aid, reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of a fatal crash, open container violations and a DUI. It is unclear how far the man had driven before he hit a utility pole and smashed into the side of a house, killing a woman who was sleeping in her living room.

The man, who had been previously convicted of reckless driving and arrested for drinking and driving, refused to submit to a field sobriety test when law enforcement officers caught up with him and the passenger of the car. Although the men ran away from the automobile accident scene, officers said that they were injured and covered in drywall dust. Officers obtained a blood sample from the driver in order to determine his blood alcohol content level.

People who drink and drive put the lives of innocent people at risk. DUI offenders should be held responsible for their actions. Those who are injured in accidents involving drunk drivers may want to speak to a personal injury attorney regarding their legal options and rights.

Source: The Tennessean, “Woman, 71, killed after car slams into her Bellevue home,” Natalie Neysa Alund, Ariana Sawyer, Aug. 1, 2016.