A news report earlier this month pointed up the danger of drinking and driving, not only in terms of legal liability, but especially due to the serious nature of accidents that can take place when operating a motor vehicle while possibly intoxicated due to alcohol or drugs. As Garden State DWI lawyers, my law firm is always ready to assist those motorists who have been accused of drinking and driving on New Jersey roadways. However, as drivers ourselves, we also know there are numerous risks associated with driving under the influence, many of which can be life-threatening.
That said, and while we in no way condone impaired driving, we do understand that some individuals can be fully unaware of their inebriation due to beer, wine or hard liquor, as well as possible impairment resulting from taking doctor-prescribed medications prior to getting behind the wheel. For those who believe they were unjustly charged with a DWI or drug DUI, my skilled legal team is available to help defendants fight those charges in a court of law.
Sadly, the reality of driving in New Jersey can mean that some people will be involved in a serious automobile or trucking-related accident as a result of some kind of impaired vehicle operation. From a legal standpoint, being charged with drunken driving following an injury-related roadway crash can often mean that the local prosecutor will consider other, more serious charges stemming from the accident itself.
And, if we’ve said it once, we have certainly said it hundreds of times, most any drunk driving defense can only be complicated when the defendant’s DWI arrest is tied to a bad traffic accident. Regardless of whether the collision takes place in Middlesex, Passaic, Atlantic or Ocean County, where injuries are involved, a drunken driving case can become that much more complicated; and hence, the job of the motorist’s defense attorney can often become that much more difficult.
As a side note, yet still one of the more sober suggestions that we can make, it is important to avoid driving when one is potentially intoxicated. And even with various warnings coming from multiple sources, dozens of drivers every week in this state who are involved in a range of traffic-related accidents find themselves also charged with DWI or DUI. Sometimes these charges can end up being criminal in nature, which apparently was the situation in one accident that occurred in Somerset County earlier this month.
According to the new articles, a 49-year-old Warren County man was allegedly the cause of a three-vehicle accident along a portion of Rte 78 near Bernards Twp., NJ. On October 3rd. Police reports indicate that the Phillipsburg resident was operating a Nissan sport utility vehicle in the early afternoon along the eastbound lanes of when the crash took place. State police arriving on the scene stated that the driver of the SUV appeared to be impaired. After administering a field sobriety test, which officers said the driver failed, an arrest was made.
The crash, which tied up traffic for about five hours, involved three vehicles including a semi tractor-trailer that had reportedly run off the roadway and overturned down an embankment following the impact. Although a second 18-wheeler was also involved, though the details were not available at the time of the news article, police arrested the SUV’s driver to be further evaluated for alleged impairment. Police reports showed that the man was initially charged with criminal DWI.
At the time of the news report, no other drivers had been issued any summonses, though the wreck was still under investigation at that time. One of the truckers, a 25-year-old man from Bayonne, was transported to Morristown Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries sustained in the crash. An amount of diesel fuel also ended up being spilled from the tank of the overturned truck, however an environmental response team from East Brunswick was able to contain the leaking fuel, according to officials.
SUV driver charged with criminal DWI in Route 78 flipped tractor trailer accident, NJ.com, October 03, 2014