When people in Tennessee and across the United States choose to drink and drive, they put other peoples’ lives at risk. In 2017 alone, drunk drivers killed more than 10,800 people and injured more than 300,000 in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That equates to one death every 48 minutes.
A young man’s poor choice to climb behind the wheel after drinking took the life of a Covington Pike man and injured another driver. The victims’ car was turning at a green arrow light onto the interstate when the drunk driver ran a red light and collided into them.
The passenger of the car died at the scene of the accident, while the driver was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. The drunk driver fled the scene on foot and apparently had arranged for some friends to pick him up. Yet, a witness to the accident ran after the suspect, caught up to him and held him until police arrived. The man faces a multitude of charges, including vehicular assault, public intoxication, vehicular homicide while intoxicated, reckless driving, leaving the scene of a deadly accident, driving without a license, disregarding a red light, DUI, failure to exercise due care and violation of financial law.
Drivers who injure and kill innocent motorists should be held responsible for their negligent actions. An attorney in Tennessee may help victims of DUI accidents receive the compensation they deserve.
Source: News Channel 3, “Witnesses help catch driver in deadly DUI crash at I-40 Covington Pike,” Eryn Taylor, Jerrita Patterson and Andrew Ellison, Feb. 28, 2020.