Just about every day there are news reports that contain details of a car wreck on New Jersey roads. Some involve serious injuries, extensive damage and much liability for the driver at fault. Victims in these car crashes might be able to aid their recoveries by pursuing compensation for losses. If a fatality is involved, accountability as well as financial payment is often important to families.
Accidents happen for unavoidable reasons, but some are directly related to someone’s actions. These can be troublesome and upsetting. They often lead to lawsuits, intense settlement negotiations or need resolution by a judge or jury. One such situation can be found in current news reports. It involves an off-duty New Jersey police officer, possible charges of drunk driving and very serious consequences.
According to reports, it was a wrong-way run-in with a tractor trailer on a highway in New York that led to the deaths of two men. The allegedly drunk driver and another passenger were critically injured. The truck driver reportedly suffered injuries, but they weren’t life-threatening.
Records show investigating police obtained a warrant to test the driver’s blood alcohol level shortly after the accident. Social media provided evidence via a photo posted by the driver himself. It showed him in a club with three shot glasses of what he identified as alcohol and contained a possibly incriminating caption. Prosecutors haven’t reported whether or not he’ll face charges. The results of the test put his level at 0.24, well above the state’s legal limit of 0.08.
Regardless of whether or not the man is charged criminally, the evidence of the policeman’s inebriation might strengthen any claims made by the officer hurt or the families of the men who died. It was disclosed the man has a previous history of driving drunk, although the first incident didn’t result in a citation. The second arrest reportedly resulted in a suspended license and ignition interlock, both of which were lifted several months ago.
There are legal remedies available to prosecutors, of course. But there are also legal channels in place for those who need accountability and compensation in order to recover and move on.
Source: Fox News, “Prosecutor: Off-duty New Jersey officer was driving drunk in wrong-way NYC crash that killed 2,” April. 27, 2015