A 9-year-old boy was taken off of life support recently after being seriously injured in a suspected drunk- driving crash. The child’s 26-year-old uncle has been charged with vehicular homicide. Investigators said the driver, who also was injured, tested at double the legal limit for alcohol and admitted smoking marijuana prior to the crash.
The single-vehicle collision occurred in the early morning of March 16 on State Route 16 in Pierce County. According to the Washington State Patrol, the child was in the front seat and wearing only a shoulder restraint when the car rolled over. Investigators said it had been traveling at an excessive speed. Both the driver and the boy were ejected from the vehicle. The boy’s 8-year-old sister, who was riding n the back seat and wearing a shoulder and lap restraint, managed to get out of the vehicle and flag down help.
Washington State Drunk Driving Crashes
Although much effort has gone into preventing impaired driving across the nation over the past few decades, some people have not gotten the message. In the State of Washington, 156 people lost their lives in impaired driving accidents in 2011, according the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Nationally, almost one out of every three traffic-related deaths involves drunk driving.
Across the United States, someone is injured by a drunk driver every 90 seconds and someone is killed every 53 minutes. Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, puts Washington State in the bottom third group of states for its rate of drunk-driving deaths. Washington State was ranked number 41 by the organization under a system in which 1 represents the state with the smallest percentage of traffic deaths that are related to impaired driving.
If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a Yakima Valley area drunk- driving accident, you could be entitled to compensation for your injuries or your loss. The Yakima Valley car accident and injury attorneys at Mariano Morales Law can help you present the strongest possible case for compensation. Contact the team today by calling (509) 853-2222 or by using our online contact form for your free initial consultation.
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