Oct 23, 2012 | Car Accidents, DUI & DWI, Uncategorized
A 28-year-old Charlotte man was killed in a DWI wreck in northwest Charlotte on an early Saturday morning.
The man was the passenger in a 2000 Ford Expedition driven by a 29-year-old male. The driver and four other passengers were riding in the 9300 block of Bellhaven Boulevard, close to Interstate 485 when the driver sideswiped a car and went off the road.
The Expedition went down and embankment, went airborne and came to a halt after striking a brick retaining wall near a house.
The passenger died on the scene while the driver and two other passengers were transported to Carolinas Medical Center with serious injuries.
The driver of the Expedition was charged with driving while impaired.
Research from NHTSA reveals that 10,228 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2010. The lives claimed in traffic accidents that year accounted for an alarming 31 percent of the total motor vehicle traffic deaths in the U.S. So it’s no wonder why police across the nation are cracking down on drunk driving. There are countless reasons why no one should drink and drive, and families affected by drunk driving incidents on our nation’s roads could echo this sentiment as strongly as anyone.
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. Call us today and speak directly with one of our lawyers at 704-499-9000 or 877-374-5999 toll-free.
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 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.
Sep 26, 2012 | Car Accidents, DUI & DWI, Personal Injury, Uncategorized
Nearly a dozen people were arrested by Charlotte Mecklenburg Police late Thursday night at a DWI checkpoint in northeast Charlotte.
The checkpoint was along Sharon Amity Road from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday Morning.
There were 11 arrests total at the checkpoint with 5 people being charged with DWI, thirty-two people were charged with driving with a revoked license, two were charged with open container violations and five people on drug related charges. In all, 117 charges were handed out.
Charlotte DWI Attorneys
Studies by the NHTSA reveal that 10,228 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2010. The fatalities resulting from these accidents accounted for a startling 31 percent of the total motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the U.S. that year. So it’s not surprising that police across the nation are cracking down on drunk driving. There are countless reasons why no one should drink and drive, and families affected by drunk driving incidents on our nation’s roads could echo this sentiment as strongly as anyone.
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 dui attorneys with whom you and your loved ones can invest the most confidence.
Sep 18, 2012 | DUI & DWI, Uncategorized
As South Carolina experiences an increase in DUI and BUI enforcement, many people in lowcountry areas such as Charleston, North Charleston, James Island, Folly Beach, West Ashley, Sullivans Island, Isle of Palms, Mount Pleasant, and Awendaw are unaware of the differences associated with driving under the influence and boating under the influence. While both charges are serious offenses, there are distinct differences in the procedures effecting the enforcement.
On land, law enforcement generally relies upon the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) to establish probable cause for a DUI arrest. The SFST was developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and includes three tests: 1) Horizontal gaze nystagmus 2) walk-and-turn and 3) One-leg stand. There is an ongoing debate about the effectiveness and scientific nature of these tests, but for the time being they relied upon by law enforcement to continue the prosecution of alleged DUI offenders. Also, South Carolina law mandates that the officer videotape the suspect with his/her in-dash camera while conducting these tests.
Boating Under the Influence (BUI) differs in multiple ways from a DUI. For the most part, the Department of Natural Resources is tasked with the responsibility to enforce the BUI laws. Similarly to the NHTSA, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators has developed its own method for testing boater’s sobriety. As you can imagine, it would not make much sense to administer the walk-and-turn test or the one-leg stand while on an unstable boat so the NASBLA test differs from the Standardized Field Sobriety Test. DNR uses the “Afloat Test Battery” to determine the sobriety of a boater. This test includes reciting the ABC’s, counting backwards from 25 to 1, a finger dexterity test, a palm pat test, and a touch finger to nose test. It is also an important distinction to realize that BUI laws do not require the arresting officer to videotape the suspect.
As the waterways, rivers, and lakes heat up it is important to understand the boating laws and the seriousness of both DUI/BUI offenses. In areas in and around the South Carolina lowcountry such as Sullivans Island, Isle of Palms, Folly Beach, James Island, Charleston, West Ashley, North Charleston, Moncks Corner, Mount Pleasant, and Awendaw, boaters will notice an increased DNR presence looking for drunk boaters. The DUI/BUI attorneys at Reeves Aiken & Hightower LLP stand ready to help you if you have been arrested and charged for DUI, BUI or DUAC. Before hiring an attorney, you should carefully check out their credentials and actual experience. For more information about our lawyers, please visit our website at www.rjrlaw.com. Or to schedule a confidential consultation about your particular case, please call us directly at 877-374-5999.
