Oct 17, 2012 | DUI & DWI, Uncategorized
Why can’t all community service be so easy. Volunteers of Rock Hill, Fort Mill, and Clover lined up to participate in training session for Rock Hill’s Police Department’s DUI team. Accordingly, the instructions for the volunteers was to drink until their Blood Alcohol Level (BAC) matched the numbers that the deputies used to train officers that are new to the field or force.
In fact, even some RHPD veterans took the training course to brush upon the DUI signs and detection methods of today. The officers selected BAC levels that they desired each participant to reach before they would be required to perform the routine field sobriety tests. Different volunteers were assigned different BAC levels to reach, ranging from a .05 to a .11. The legal limit in the state of South Carolina is .08 and anything below. Anything over that reading will allow the officer to c
harge you with a DUI.
The rules allowed each participant to bring their own liquor of choice, so long as it was 80 proof, or 40% alcohol. The training began at 8:30 a.m., and the first drink was served at 8:40 a.m. Moreover, each volunteer signed a waiver, agreeing to participate, whatever the outcome.
For the rest of the day, each volunteer was assigned a deputy, who escorted the person around until they “sobered up”, no matter how long it took.
When determining how quickly one will get drunk, two key factors are the person’s height and weight. the Master Deputy, who is head of the DUI detection training, says that DUIs have been and are remaining to be a huge problem in the county, state, and nation as a whole. So far this year, 85 DUIs have been given in York County alone.
Once the participant had reached the BAC level they were assigned, the Master Deputy preformed the horizontal gaze nystagmus, where they look for six indicators of intoxication. The “one-leg stand” and “walk-and-turn” were also administered.
The training, although enjoyable for the volunteers, was beneficial to all York County residents. This training allows officers to more readily detect when someone is over the legal limit. The benefit of officers receiving this training,however, outweighs the harm. With officers giving DUIs to intoxicated drivers, they are making the roads safer for you and your children.
However, there are times when even the dreaded “breathalyzer” maybe wrong. A machine is in fact, only a machine. Even the greatest of machines is bound to fail from time to time. If you, or a loved one has been involved in any sort of DUI accident, or has been charged with a DUI, please contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower. Our experienced litigators have represented parties on both sides of the courtroom; i.e., plaintiffs and defendants. Whichever category you fall in, please contact us today at 704-499-9000 or 877-374-5999 toll free, and let us evaluate the severity of the situation for you.
Oct 17, 2012 | Car Accidents, DUI & DWI, Personal Injury, Uncategorized
A Charlotte man, charged with murder and DWI, was arrested late Monday after an overnight crash killed a 26-year-old woman and left her 4-year-old son hospitalized
The crash happened at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Monday morning, when the 31-year-old Iraq war veteran was driving eastbound on Sugar Creek Road in a 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe and sped through a red light and slammed into a car containing the woman driver and her child.
The woman died on the scene of the crash. The child was in critical condition and was sent to a Charlotte area hospital. The man was arrested in September in 2009 for separate DWI incident and has since been restricted to no more than .04 blood alcohol level, a stricter imposition than the N.C. legal limit of .08.
According to police than man was intoxicated at the time of the crash on Monday. He was charged with second-degree murder, felony serious injury by motor vehicle, DWI, and failure to comply with license restrictions. Studies show that almost one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated are repeat offenders. In 2010, over 200 children were killed in crashes involving drunk drivers. The effects of drunk driving have unfortunately touched families across the country and beyond.
If your family has been touched or damaged by the effects of drunk driving, please call the attorneys of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower LLP, at 704-499-9000 or 877-374-5999 toll free. We have offices in Charlotte and throughout South Carolina. We would be honored to have an opportunity to help you and your family get through this most difficult time in your lives.
Oct 15, 2012 | Bus Accidents, Child Accidents, DUI & DWI, Uncategorized
A school bus driver from Richland County has now lost her commercial driver’s license after being charged with a DUI last Friday. Accordingly, the 61- year-old was en route, after delivering her students to Hopkins Middle and Lower Richland High crashed her bus into an a ditch.
No students were reported to of been on the bus at the time of the accident. The collision was called in shortly after 9:00 a.m. The driver had been working as a bus driver on this particular route for more than 12 years.
Apparently, the driver had lost control of the bus, hit the ditch, and then crossed over the road and some how found herself in the ditch across the street.
The driver has lost her driving privileges, but is still on the school payroll.
When you find out their your children are at risk, parent become scared, and even worse, infuriated at what may happen when they are not around. Parents should not fear that whentheir child boards the bus to go to school, that the bus driver may of had a drink or two prior to picking up the kids. If you, or a loved one has been injured in any sort of serious car accident or child injury, please contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower. 704-499-9000 or 877-374-5999 toll-free. We are ready, willing, and able to evaluate your case today.
Oct 7, 2012 | Car Accidents, DUI & DWI, Uncategorized
A Charlotte couple has received a $1.7 million jury verdict after being involved in a drunk driving accident that occurred nearly two years ago that hospitalized them for months and killed their unborn son.
The couple was driving down Providence road on Octorber 29, 2010 when a 1997 Volvo driving crashed into their SUV.
The driver of the Volvo had just left a local pub in the Cotswold area of Charlotte. He had been served the equivalent of 15 drinks and had a blood alcohol level of .23, almost three times the legal limit in NC. After leaving the pub, the he drove his Volvo down Providence road at a speed estimated at over 100 miles per hour in the 45 mph speed zone.
The man driving the Volvo was killed at the scene of the crash. The woman, six months pregnant, was riding in the SUV with her husband and lost her un-born child due to the crash. Both she and her husband spent months in the hospital with critical injuries.
Last week the couple won a civil lawsuit against the establishment that served the drunk driver before the fatal crash.
According to the couple, it’s not about the money, but ensuring that establishments that serve alcohol make changes in how they deal with serving customers who are intoxicated. While North Carolina does have laws against serving customers who are intoxicated, there is no training to teach employees to recognize sings of intoxication.
In 2009, a staggering 10,839 fatalities occurred in traffic collisions that involved a driver with a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher. This accounted for 32 percent of traffic fatalities that year. It’s never worth it to drink and drive and it is always safer to call a reliable cab service or a friend. If you know you will be having a couple drinks, arrange for safe transportation before hand.
Taking the right precautions can make the difference of life or death. However, even the most vigilant drivers can be involved in a serious accident. When you or someone you love has been involved in a serious accident, the DUI Attorneys of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower can be there to assist you on your path to recovery. We can investigate all aspects of the accident and hold all parties accountable for your loss. Call us today and speak directly with one of our lawyers at 704-499-9000 or 877-374-5999 toll-free. Hire the best accident attorneys with whom you and your loved ones can invest the most confidence.
Oct 1, 2012 | Brain Injury/Head Trauma, Car Accidents, Child Accidents, DUI & DWI, Uncategorized
The Rock Hill Police Department received a disturbing phone call this past Sunday, when an 11-year-old child called to report that her mother was drunk driving while the child was a passenger in the vehicle. According to the Rock Hill police report, the 38-year-old mother was subsequently charged with a DUI and child endangerment.
When the police arrived at the child’s home, the little girl pointed out the car her mother was driving and who her mother was. The police found the vehicle parked sideways on the sidewalk, partially blocking pedestrians from the entrance way to the apartment complex.
Moreover, the child told the police that she was the only passenger on the car at the time the mother was driving; that the mom had already consumed two beers and two medium-sized margaritas; and lastly, that the mother had almost hit two cars while driving herself and the daughter home.
At first, the mother was hostile towards the police until that amounted in failure. In a second attempt, the mother became flirtatious with the officer, winking and calling one “love,” in attempts to escape charges.
Fortunately, the flirting had no impact and the mother was properly charged.
As we all know and appreciate, small children are the most vulnerable among us, and great care must be taken to protect their safety. Accidents can happen quickly if proper steps are not taken by those in charge of their welfare. Despite our best intentions, however, needless accidents still happen, and injuries will occur. Hopefully, the injuries will be minor.
However, if your child is seriously injured, you need to know what to do first and what to expect. The experienced child injury attorneys of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower LLP are standing by to help. For more information on your options, call us at 877-374-5999 for a private consultation to evaluate your case.
Sep 26, 2012 | DUI & DWI, Personal Injury, Trucking/Tractor-Trailer Accidents, Uncategorized, Workers' Compensation, Wrongful Death
An EMT was killed last Tuesday morning, where a tractor-trailer and ambulance were involved in a deadly crash in front of the Carolinas Medical Center-Union.
The tractor-trailer was being driven by a man from Madison, NC who was traveling westbound on Independence Boulevard, when the tractor collided with an ambulance that was pulling abruptly into the roadway from the hospital parking lot.
The driver of the ambulance suffered some minor injuries, but has since been stabilized at the hospital. Moreover, it has since been confirmed that the EMT passenger in the ambulance, was in fact killed in the crash.
Fortunately for the driver of the tractor-trailer, he suffered no serious injury from the crash. Moreover, there were no patients in the ambulance yet, as it was en route to the hospital to pick up a patient at the time of the collision.
Wrongful death cases are multifaceted. A thorough investigation must be started almost immediately in order to preserve critical evidence in a fatality. Autopsies are almost always necessary to determine the exact mechanism and cause of death. There is the issue of whether the decedent died instantly or may have a “survival action.” The medical reports can be very confusing as they include external anatomy examination, internal organ examination, microscopic review of tissues, as well as fluid toxicology testing for drugs, alcohol, or disease.
If a loved one has been killed in a wrongful death action, please contact the wrongful death attorneys at Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower and let us sift through the confusing medical reports for you. We are ready, willing, and able to fight for the justice that you and your family deserves. Call us today at and speak directly with one of our lawyers at 704-499-9000 or 877-374-5999 toll-free. Hire the best wrongful death attorneys with whom you and your loved ones can invest the most confidence in.
