Blog Topic

Restaurants and Driver Settle for $410,000 in DUI Case
January 29, 2008

It's difficult to say who's most at fault in a drunken driving accident - the one who gets behind the wheel, fully aware he is a danger to other people, or the establishment that plies a man with enough alcohol to be a danger to other people.

Evidently, the relatives of 22-year-old Evan Zarate, who was killed in a DUI collision, didn't need any convincing about where the fault lay and who should pay. They have managed to settle for a sum of $410,000 with the drunken driver, the restaurant where he was served the alcohol that caused the crash and the employees who failed to detect that the driver was too drunk to be served more alcohol.

The case relates to the accident that occurred on August 24, 2005 in Tucson, Arizona, in which Julie Lagergren, driving under the influence, crashed her Volvo station wagon into the Kia of the victim, Evan Zarate. The Kia was being driven by Monica Miranda, the mother of two of Zarate's kids. The crash left Monica with serious injuries including a punctured lung. Zarate never regained consciousness after the crash. He died a week later in the hospital.

His family lost no time filing lawsuits against Lagergren, Elle, a Wine County Restaurant, Cuvee World Bistro and Walgreens. The lawsuit alleges that the restaurant where Julia Lagergren was served alcohol was at fault for serving intoxicants to a person who was already drunk. Walgreens employees should also have detected that Julie was intoxicated, the lawsuit alleged, but they went ahead and sold her liquor anyway.

According to Ele's attorneys, the bartender who served Lagergren the drinks was trained to detect any obvious signs of intoxication, and did not detect any such sign of drunkenness on the woman.

Obviously the bartender and other employees were not as trained at detecting people who are intoxicated as they fancy themselves. A woman who was at least 3 times over the DUI limit levels of intoxication was allowed to drink more as she passed through the bar on her way out on the road and into Zarate's car.

Lagergren herself was sentenced in December 2006 to 3 years in prison for negligent homicide and five years of probation for aggravated assault. This settlement now places stiff and fair financial burden on her other accomplices in this tragedy.

If you have been injured or a loved on has been killed in a drunk driving accident, contact an experienced California personal injury lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

Permalink

"Pulp Fiction" Co-Writer Arrested for Drunk Driving
January 14, 2008

Academy Award-winning writer Roger Avary was arrested after causing an accident while driving under the influence. The accident killed a passenger in Avary's car, and severely injured his wife.

The accident occurred outside the Ojai Lumber Company at 12:54 am, according to the Los Angeles Times. Avary and his wife are residents of Ojai, a small artist's community in Ventura County, California.

Few details of the accident are available, but the LA Times reported that Avary's wife, Gretchen, was ejected from the back seat, and taken to a hospital with severe injuries. The man in the passenger seat, an Italian citizen named Andreas Zini, had to be extricated from the vehicle, and was taken to Ventura County Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.

Avary was arrested in charges of felony driving under the influence and manslaughter, and was booked into Ventura County jail before he posted a bail amount of $50,000.

It is such a waste of talent. An award-winning writing flushing his life away over one incredibly bad decision, a decision which is made all too frequently, to drink and then drive. Not only does Avary potentially have to serve jail time, but he also has to live forever with the guilt that he killed one person and seriously hurt his wife. We can only hope that this high-profile incident serves as a lesson to other drivers out there, but since day-in and day-out we always hear new stories of drunk drivers killing and being killed, no lesson seems to have stuck yet.

If you or a loved-one has been severely hurt, injured, or even killed by a drunk driver, you need an experienced California personal injury attorney. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group immediately for a free consultation.

Permalink

DUI Driver Charged in Fatal Accident
January 08, 2008

As the first member of her family to attend college, 19-year-old Sylvia Nunez had a bright future that belied her humble beginnings. An assistant manager at a Burger King, Sylvia had saved her earnings to pay for college, and was due to transfer to a university this year.

All those plans came to an end on New Year's Eve in Elk Grove, California, when a drunken driver in a Toyota pickup broadsided her family's sports utility vehicle. Sylvia, a rear-seat passenger, was ejected from her seat and suffered fatal injures. Her younger siblings aged, 17, 15 and 5 are still hospitalized.

The driver of the pick up, 22-year-old Ryan Williamson, fled from the scene, and was later picked up by police and arrested on charges of suspected homicide, hit and run, and driving under the influence. He was also charged with driving without a license after a previous DUI offense, and failing to stop at a stop sign.

Williamson's neighbors say they have long been aware of his fondness for speeding on neighborhood streets.

The state of California recently enforced a new law that requires persons applying for a driver's license to sign a declaration saying they are aware they could havemurder charges brought against them if they cause fatalities while driving in an intoxicated state.

Unfortunately, the law comes too late for people like Sylvia Nunez.

If you or a family member has been injured or killed in a drunk driver related car crash, contact a California personal injury lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

Permalink

Pregnant Woman Loses Baby In DUI Accident
January 04, 2008

20-year-old Adrienne Dazo had a lot to look forward to. She had just celebrated her 20th birthday with her friends, and was in great health. She was also expecting her first child, and was in her fifth month of pregnancy. Whatever dreams Dazo might have had for her child were dashed Sunday morning when a drunk driver slammed into her car. Adrienne lost her unborn child, and remains in critical condition at a hospital.

It was initially believed that the driver Brandon Parker was driving under the influence. Now police say he was not only drunk, but was also driving with a suspended license. Thanks to the impaired judgment and slow reaction time that are always associated with consuming alcohol, Parker ran a red light and smashed his car into Dazo at the intersection of Donovan Road and Carlotti Drive in Santa Maria, California. Parker will be bought before court on Friday.

Being held liable for the damages that you cause when you drive in an intoxicated state can do much to reduce the numbers of DUI accidents that are taking place with such frequency. The state of California does conduct DUI awareness programs regularly, but people are still either slipping through the cracks or couldn't be bothered to practice what they learn.

In any case, it is definitely not because people don't understand the dangers of drinking while driving, an argument that many attorneys have used to get their intoxicated clients out of trouble.

If you or a loved-one has been the victim of a drunk driver, contact an experienced California personal injury attorney at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

Permalink