Anyone who needs an example of what not to do when it comes to drinking and driving — despite the obvious of not getting into a motor vehicle if you suspect you have had any amount of alcohol to drink — just take a look at the news article we ran across a short while ago. Incidents like this only serve to punctuate the argument that a drunken driving-related traffic accident can happen at the most inopportune time resulting in consequences that may only be fully realized much later.
As New Jersey DWI defense attorneys, I and my colleagues have literally a century of legal experience between us assisting individuals accused of a wide range of offenses, not the least of which is driving while intoxicated. Looking at the news on a daily basis it’s evident that the Garden State has its share of impaired driving incidents every single day of the week.
Whether the charge is driving drunk, impaired operation of a car, truck or motorcycle, or driving under the influence of doctor-prescribed meds or even illicit drugs, this is an area of the law on which one does not want to find him or herself on the wrong side. With potentially harsh sentences and costly fines, fees and statutory assessments, being convicted of a DWI or DUI can be a shock to the average law-abiding citizen. Just consider that simply being accused of impaired or drunken driving can hurt one’s reputation, cause problems with personal relationships and even ruin one’s career.
We thought of this when reading the aforementioned article. According to news reports, a 53-year-old woman working as a baby sitter was transporting a young infant in the back seat of her late model Nissan sedan when for some reason she apparently lost control of the car, which crossed over into the opposing lanes and ran off the road into a yard where the vehicle collided with a nearby tree. The force of the collision, which occurred around 2pm in the afternoon, resulted in the car being flipped over and back into the roadway before coming to rest.
Police officers arriving at the crash site found the baby in its car seat and reportedly unhurt following the accident, which happened in the vicinity of West Colfax Ave. and Donald Place. The responding officers removed the baby, who was returned to its parents a short time later. The driver, who officers stated had the smell of alcohol on her breath and appeared to them to be intoxicated, possibly by some kind of alcoholic beverage.
At the scene, based on news articles, the woman was reportedly taken into custody by the responding officers. While the infant was reportedly unhurt during the crash, which left the baby sitter’s vehicle in what police described as “heavily damaged” condition, the driver herself received what authorities described as severe, but not life-threatening injuries; as a result she was transported to Overlook Hospital for treatment.
Not surprisingly, the suspect was charged by police with a number of traffic offenses, including driving under the influence of alcohol, drunken driving with a minor also in the vehicle and child neglect. She was also hit with charges of reckless driving charge and failure to keep right. It could be aid that the charge of child endangerment is a serious one, especially for a person who likely makes a living caring for other people’s children. Such an incident has been known to destroy the careers of individuals if they are found guilty of drunken driving. Certainly the mere suggestion that a baby sitter was allegedly drunk at the time of a serious traffic accident is enough to cause serious problems with future employment.
Roselle Park babysitter charged with DWI after flipping car with baby inside, NJ.com, December 12, 2012