A Gloucester Co. resident recently pleaded guilty to driving under the influence following her arrest in late June in Middle Township. According to court records, 21-year-old Jena L. Davidson of Swedesboro will have her driving privileges withheld for seven months. In addition to her DWI-related drivers license suspension, the judge in the case also called for the woman to have an ignition interlock device installed for the next 12 months to ensure that she doesn’t drive drunk.
News reports also show that the New Jersey motorist will be required to complete 12 hours of training administered through the New Jersey Intoxicated Driver Resource Center. As part of her guilty plea, Davidson also paid penalties of $664 in fines and court costs.
As a New Jersey DWI defense lawyer, I’ve seen my share of tragic car accidents that could have turned out differently. As a drunk driving attorney, I always advise people to get a ride from a sober friend or make arrangements for alternate transportation in advance of “nights out on the town.”
This was latest saga apparently had a good outcome for this young woman who could have ended up dead as a result of drinking and driving. She reportedly walked away from a possibly fatal car accident last June when the car she was operating crashed through a barrier at the end of a pier, ending nose-first in the water.
According to news reports, police received a call in the early afternoon about a car that had gone over a bulkhead and was stuck front-end-down partially in the water. The accident happened at Carol Nicoletta Memorial Park when Davidson’s Toyota failed to stop as it entered the parking area.
The shear momentum of the car caused it to crash over a parking barrier, eventually running through the railing of a fishing pier then plunging into the bay. Emergency crews were able to help the woman after a tow truck secured Davidson’s vehicle. She was eventually taken to Cape Regional Medical Center for evaluation but was never admitted. Police charged her with careless driving, driving an uninsured vehicle and DWI.
Gloucester County woman pleads to Middle Township DWI after driving her car into bay, PressofAtlanticCity.com, September 9, 2010