When responding to accidents that occur late at night, police officers and other responders generally assume that alcohol or other intoxicants are involved. Additionally, if a victim of a wreck turns out to be a local or state-wide celebrity, many officials may feel increased pressure to determine the cause of the accident and assign blame quickly. In a recent accident, a man has been charged with drunk driving and other felonies in Georgia after his involvement in a fatal car crash.
The accident happened on Sunday, November 20 at approximately 4 a.m. A sedan carrying four people was traveling northbound on U.S. 17 near Savannah when it was involved in a head-on collision with a southbound pickup truck. According to reports, the passenger sitting behind the sedan’s driver, a well-known television newsman, was not wearing his seat belt at the time and was killed instantly in the crash.
The other three passengers of the sedan suffered injuries and were hospitalized after the accident. The 31-year-old truck driver was also injured, but was arrested two days after the accident on one felony count of driving under the influence involving death and two felony counts of driving under the influence with great bodily injury. At this time, however, police have not released which of the drivers crossed the center line on the highway causing the accident, nor have they described what kind and amount of intoxicant the truck driver was allegedly under at the time of the wreck.
Most people in Georgia who face drunk driving charges, especially those that include injuries and/or fatalities, hire an experienced attorney to help them with their case. By doing so, they are able to make informed decisions about the path their cases will follow. An attorney can question the validity of drug and alcohol screenings and arrest procedures in an effort to build a strong defense for his or her client in court.
Source: savannahnow.com, “Savannah man, 31, charged with DUI in wreck that killed WTOC anchor Don Logana“, Dash Coleman and Jan Skutch, Nov. 25, 2016