Approximately one-third of all traffic fatalities involve a driver who was impaired. This doesn’t take into account the hundreds of thousands of injuries that are caused by impaired driving. While a driver who is intoxicated may face criminal charges, this does nothing to compensate the victims in the accident financially. When it comes to filing for compensation, a victim will have to start with the driver’s insurance company. They may also have to file a civil lawsuit against the driver. Because insurance companies are aware that a jury may be sympathetic to the victims in a DUI accident, they may attempt to settle. More often than not, these offers are well below what the case is worth.
The Ledger-Enquirer reports that a judge has denied bond to the driver responsible for a car that crashed off a Columbus bridge.
44-year-old Angela Sanchez is facing charges of homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence, having an open container of alcohol, failure to maintain lane, and not wearing a seatbelt.
The charges stem from a horrific crash that occurred at 10:35 p.m. on November 2nd. Sanchez was driving a Dodge Challenger northbound on Interstate 185 when she crossed over into the southbound lanes. The car then plunged off of the bridge over Smith Road, where it landed on its roof on the street below.
40-year-old passenger Tymaria Thomas had to be extricated from the wreckage, a process that took emergency workers 90 minutes. He was paralyzed from the waist down, suffering from a collapsed lung, internal bleeding, along with fractures in his neck and shoulder. Thomas succumbed to his injuries on November 30th.
Sanchez was also seriously injured in the accident. According to relatives, she was in a coma until just two weeks ago.
Officers at the scene said that Sanchez smelled of alcohol and an open bottle of spiced rum was discovered under the driver’s seat. Sanchez refused a DUI test, but police received a warrant a blood draw. The blood draw revealed a BAC of .135.
Sanchez also has a pending DUI charge in Fayette County.
The judge set no bond on the homicide charge. The bond for the other charges came to a total of $795.
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