Complicating a DWI charge in New Jersey with an injury accident is not a good idea. Injuring other passengers in your car or occupants of another vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol is bad enough, but hurting a pedestrian while driving in an intoxicated state can put you in a very difficult situation. This is why having an experienced New Jersey drunk driving defense lawyer at your side is very important.
Not long ago, a car driven by a local woman struck a Lord & Taylor employee on a pedestrian crosswalk just outside of the department store in Westfield, NJ. The victim, Gina Marotta from Clark, New Jersey, was taken Newark’s University Hospital where she underwent surgery for a broken arm, a broken leg and head injuries.
Police investigating the accident alleged that the driver, Leslie Boughner, was intoxicated at the time of the accident. Charged with second degree aggravated assault with a motor vehicle for the August 5 accident, Boughner surrendered herself to the police following the investigation which started hours after the accident.
On the day of the accident, Boughner was issued a summons for DWI and had a blood sample taken to test the amount of alcohol in her system. After reviewing the case, the Union County prosecutor’s office came to the conclusion that Boughner “operated her motor vehicle recklessly under the influence of either alcohol or drugs.”
The area in which the accident occurred also played a part in the type of charge levied against the woman. Being just one block from Roosevelt Intermediate School the accident technically happened in a school zone, therefore the charges were upgraded to a second degree offense. This is serious and could result in this individual doing jail time should she be convicted. Boughner was released on $20,000 in bail pending a hearing.
At the time of the news report, the investigation was still ongoing. As part of the county’s effort to gain more witnesses in the case, police erected a flashing sign on North Avenue asking anyone who saw the accident to come forward. Putting up this kind of sign is common when authorities are looking for a conviction in cases such as this.
Driver Charged, Could Face Jail Time, in Lord & Taylor Accident, Westfield.Patch.com, August 19, 2009