Latest news with #drunkDriving
Wall Street Journal
2 days ago
- Wall Street Journal
Can the U.S. Make Drunk Driving Disappear?
'How to Get Away With Drunk Driving in the Hamptons' (WSJ. Magazine, June/July) glamorizes a justice system bent by wealth and access at a time when fatalities and injuries related to driving while intoxicated continue to devastate families. Edward Burke Jr.'s ability to reduce DWI charges to mere traffic tickets for celebrities and moguls also underscores a deeper systemic issue: While everyday citizens face license suspension, jail time or lifelong records for similar offenses, those with enough cash to afford 'country lawyering' get special treatment. Privilege may buy legal escape, but impaired driving doesn't check bank accounts. Its consequences hit rich and poor alike. Drunk driving injures or kills someone every 85 seconds, with related deaths up 22% since 2019. Through advocacy, policy and emerging technology, we have the power to end impaired driving for good. Congress passed the bipartisan HALT Drunk Driving Law in 2021, requiring federal regulation for anti-drunk driving technology to be included by automakers in all new vehicles—the same way cars come equipped with seatbelts and airbags today. When implemented, this innovation could prevent 10,000 deaths a year.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Washington Post
After their teens died, this couple made a phone booth for anyone coping with loss
Colin Campbell was driving with his wife, Gail Lerner, and their two teens along Highway 62 near Morongo Valley, California, when a drunk driver going 90 miles an hour struck their car. Ruby, 17, and Hart, 14, who were seated in the back, were killed in the crash. The family was on their way to their new home in the town of Joshua Tree that evening in June 2019.
BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
Omagh: Officer injured after being dragged along road
A police officer has been left with multiple fractures after he was dragged along the road by a car driven by a suspected drunk happened shortly after 23:00 BST on Sunday in Beltany Road, officer sustained fractures to his foot, as well as cuts and bruises and is expected to be unable to work for some time, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said.A 24-year-old man arrested on suspicion of a driving offences remains in police custody. "This was a very dangerous situation which could have had a much, much more dire outcome," Ch Insp Graham Dodds senior officer said the driver had been stopped because police believed he may have been under the influence. When told that a preliminary breath test would be carried out, Ch Insp Dodds said the driver "took off at speed dragging the police officer along with his vehicle for several meters before the officer was able to free himself"."Both driver and vehicle were located in Kesh where the car had run out of fuel," he added."The driver was arrested on suspicion of offences including driving with excess alcohol, dangerous driving and assault on police."Police have appealed for anyone information to come forward. They particularly want to hear from the member of the public who stopped to help the officer.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Yahoo
Family remembers daughter who died in 2021 crash as DUI case approaches end
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — A mother who has waited years for justice after her daughter was killed in a 2021 crash by an accused drunk driver says a chapter is closing on the case. 24-year-old Hannah Parton and 47-year-old Arlene Velasquez were killed in the crash. 'We love you': Family of missing Albertville teen desperate for answers 'You know, she just was that soft-natured young lady that wanted everyone to do well,' Sheila Smith said about her daughter Hannah. Smith said the families waited almost a year to see movement in the case. In October 2022, Jacob Stephens was charged with reckless murder and driving under the influence. 'It's easy to get bitter,' Smith said. 'It's easy to feel like you're being ignored. It's just hard. You know, losing Hannah was hard enough. It's still so hard.' Stephens is set to go to trial next week, but it is possible he will never appear in front of a jury. Smith said the District Attorney's Office told her Stephens is expected to take a plea deal. 📲 to stay updated on the go. 📧 to have news sent to your inbox. 'I've also done a lot of research in three and a half years waiting for justice, and I feel like it's probably the best outcome,' Smith said. Smith said no amount of prison time Stephens could serve would bring her daughter back. After years of grief, she wants to find a sense of normalcy in her life, living each day for Hannah. 'A lot has been lifted after three and a half years of complete chaos and uncertainty,' Smith said. 'Heartbreak. The continued heartbreak. Yeah, it's nice to finally be able to put it to a close.' The Madison County District Attorney's Office told News 19 that plea discussions have focused on Stephens serving 30 years in prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
20-06-2025
- The Independent
Woman who died after drink-driver fled police unlawfully killed, inquest finds
The heartbroken mother of a woman who died after a drunk driver fled from police at speeds of over 100mph has called for motorists who are involved in fatal crashes while under the influence to be stripped of their licences. The call was made by Debbie Clack on Friday after a coroner ruled that her daughter Lillie, 22, who was injured and died days after the crash in the early hours of Christmas Day 2021, was unlawfully killed. The kitchen designer, of Morden, south London, was among six people who squeezed into the overcrowded Mercedes driven by Charlie Hilton, 25, who was chased by police before the car hit a tree, flipped over and burst into flames in Carshalton. Assistant coroner for London South, Sebastian Naughton, said the evidence showed Hilton's actions could be considered as gross negligence as he fled police reaching over 100mph at some points in the chase, carried out an illegal U-turn and ran a red a light as passengers inside the car begged him to stop. After the finding sitting at South London Coroner's Court, Lillie's mother said: 'Lillie went through a horrific ordeal and we are continuing to live through this every day.' She added: 'Hilton killed my daughter. 'He pleaded guilty to causing her death by dangerous driving while more than twice the legal alcohol limit, running from the police, refusing to stop, losing control of his car, and crashing into a tree. 'That crash caused a bleed on Lillie's brain. Damage so severe that her heart stopped beating three days later on December 28 2021. She was just 22. My baby girl. 'If going through today's pain means something changes, if it shines a light on what went wrong and stops even one other family from feeling this kind of grief, then it was worth it. 'It cannot be right that any driver involved in a fatal crash gets to go home still carrying their licence in their pocket. It is also the case that too often those convicted of injuring people by their dangerous driving can one day return to the road. 'What happened to Lillie, her family, friends and the whole community, has to mean something. We all need to believe that lessons will be learned.' She is calling for lifetime driving bans for anyone convicted of causing death by dangerous driving while under the influence and tougher penalties for dangerous drivers. The friends had been enjoying a Winter Wonderland attraction and visited a pub in Morden before accepting a lift home from Hilton. Residents in Beeches Avenue, Carshalton grabbed fire extinguishers and rushed to help after the crash. In February 2023, Hilton was jailed at the Old Bailey for 10 years and six months after pleading guilty to causing Miss Clack's death by dangerous driving, three counts of causing serious injury, failing to stop when directed and driving above the alcohol limit. The coroner suggested Hilton 'possibly knew he was in trouble due to the number of people in his vehicle', that the U-turn was 'practically inviting the police to pursue' and he would have known he was over the alcohol limit to drive. He 'made no effort to ascertain' if his passengers were wearing their seatbelts. The coroner said: 'Mr Hilton was properly directed to stop by police and decided not to so. 'He decided to evade capture and drove at high speeds before the collision occurred.' In his findings the coroner said: 'Despite repeated requests from passengers throughout the pursuit to slow down or stop, the driver of the Mercedes would not stop or slow down after the police were no longer in pursuit of the Mercedes.' The Mercedes was travelling at approximately 70mph – in a 30mph speed zone – just seconds before the car went over a raised pedestrian crossing. The coroner said: 'The driver of the Mercedes lost control of the vehicle, was weaving before striking kerbs on both sides of the road and leaving the carriageway, striking a tree and the Mercedes. 'Lillie sustained serious chest and head injuries in the collision. 'Due to the severity of her injuries there was no possible surgical intervention. Lillie deteriorated and died on 28 December 2021. 'It is not possible to say if her injuries could have been mitigated if her seatbelt had been fastened.' Complications of a head injury was given as the cause of death in a post-mortem examination. Hilton had been told by his passengers that a police vehicle had turned its blue lights on behind them and was indicating for him to stop, the inquest heard. Instead, he sped up and was driving so fast that the passengers bumped their head on the roof of the car as they were chased by police. At one point Sergeant Alexander Gill said his police car was doing 90mph in a 40mph zone and Hilton's Mercedes was 'greatly getting away'. Police called off the chase, which lasted about three-and-a-half minutes, after losing sight of the Mercedes. Miss Clack's boyfriend Jack Watson and best friend Delia Casey were among those who were badly hurt. In a statement Mr Watson, who was in the back seat, remembered seeing police blue lights and sirens and described Hilton's driving as 'dangerous and quick' and thought he could 'easily lose control'. Mr Watson later recalled: 'I think I might have said 'Charlie what are you doing, why are you going so fast'. I think the girls were in shock.' He also remembered saying: 'Charlie, slow down. What are you doing? Let me and Lillie out.' He recalled Hilton telling him to shut up. Mr Watson does not remember the crash but does recall being pulled out on a stretcher and bleeding from his lip. He added: 'I remember asking 'where's Lillie?'. I remember being in an ambulance and blood on my jacket but I do not know where the blood came from. 'My clothing was cut off from me – and I knew then that it was bad.'
