As many may have read or seen in recent media reports, four young women were tragically killed on the North Fork of Long Island when their limousine was T-boned by a pickup truck, after the limo left a nearby winery on July 18, 2015.  The sad irony of this accident is that the young women hired the limousine so they would not risk drinking and driving, only to be involved in a accident with another allegedly intoxicated driver.

Apparently, the limousine was making a U-turn at the time of the accident.  At this intersection, there is little room for a vehicle – especially a limousine – to make a U-turn, and the speed limit is 50 mph.  That said, the pickup truck driver still had alcohol in his system nearly two hours after the accident.  The attached article notes that the DA’s investigation is ongoing, and the decision on potential charges will be forthcoming.

The salient point for insureds is that the pickup truck driver, who blew a .066 — actually below the .08 legal limit for DWI – now faces potential felony charges for the accident, and can now expect either jail time or a certain felony indictment, and potentially both.  Drivers with alcohol in their systems risk danger to themselves and to others, not to mention criminal prosecution.  This case presents an additional incentive to drive responsibly.  By driving with alcohol in his system, the driver has made it increasingly difficult to assert this this tragic accident is not his fault.  Please email Brian Gibbons with any questions.