Drunk drivers are charged with serious crimes when they cause severe injuries or death to another person. However, it is still possible to receive compensation regardless of what happens with the state’s charges.
A man from the Minneapolis area was charged for leading the police on a car chase while he was drunk and killing a teenage victim.
Victim is killed by heavily intoxicated motorist during police chase
The incident began when local police tried to stop the defendant after he left a golf club due to his erratic driving. The suspect began to flee from the police and did not allow them to make a traffic stop. At times during the chase, he reached speeds of approximately 100 miles per hour. The fatal accident happened at an intersection in Becker Township, Minnesota where he hit a pickup truck while speeding through a stop sign a few miles from where the chase began.
In the immediate aftermath of the crash, the 39 year old male suspect’s blood alcohol content was 0.22, which is approximately three times the legal limit of 0.08. He was sentenced to ten years in prison. Before the sentencing, the defendant had asked for leniency, saying that he has no prior criminal history and has children of his own. He also expressed great disappointment in himself for his actions that night. He ended up accepting a plea deal for charges related to fleeing from police, drunk driving, and criminal operation of a motor vehicle in order to have the more severe manslaughter charges dropped. It is estimated that he will spend about seven of ten years in jail and the remainder of the sentence on supervised release.
The victim was an 18 year old male from Dassel, Minnesota, who had recently graduated from Dassel-Cokato High School. The prosecutor assigned to the case read a letter he had written a couple of years earlier talking about his future goals and plans to get married.
A separate civil lawsuit
Even when the person responsible for a drunk driving accident is charged criminally, it is still recommended to speak with a civil attorney to discuss options related to a lawsuit. Restitution is not available in all criminal cases, and insurance claims may be insufficient to cover things like funeral expenses and medical treatment. A separate civil case may be necessary to collect sufficient damages to cover all costs related to the crash. This is especially true when a victim and their family have large expenses for constant healthcare after a serious accident.
Speak with a local attorney for more information
Some lawyers in the Minneapolis area focus their practice on assisting people who were injured by drunk drivers. The Law Office of Martin T. Montilino gives free case evaluations to local clients.
800-672-3103