On Jan. 21, a man in New York was accused of causing an accident and fleeing the scene after driving drunk with a child passenger in his car. The 30-year-old man was driving a 2010 Toyota in Hempstead at 2:35 a.m. when he struck a 2015 Toyota in a head-on collision. The accident happened while the defendant was making a right turn and the other driver was waiting at a red light.
Following the collision, the accused driver and his 13-year-old minor passenger allegedly ran from the scene on foot. The other driver called the police and brought both the defendant and his minor passenger back to the crash scene. When a police officer arrived, the defendant was allegedly found to be under the influence of alcohol.
The accused driver reportedly sustained injuries in the accident. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment of internal bleeding and head and back injuries. After the 13-year-old passenger was evaluated at the hospital and found to be uninjured, he was released to his father. The accused driver was charged with aggravated DWI, child endangerment, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and leaving the accident scene without reporting the incident.
People who have been arrested for drunk driving after a serious accident may argue that they were not impaired by alcohol. If police conducted a field sobriety test after the accident, DWI defendants may argue that they did not pass the test because they were seriously injured. A criminal defense attorney may be able to help a defendant in this situation dispute his or her charges based on a lack of scientific evidence.
