As you celebrated the end of 2012 and rang in 2013, you may have been aware of the risks the last night of the year carries for those who venture out onto Pennsylvania’s roads. Unfortunately, no matter how many police are out on patrol looking for intoxicated or otherwise careless drivers, there still exists the risk of being injured by a motorist who’s had too much to drink.
Of course, this danger isn’t limited to Dec. 31; drunk-driving accidents injure and kill people year round. In fact, a Pennsylvania man stands accused of killing two people while he was driving under the influence at the end of last month. He’s been charged with two counts of homicide by vehicle while under the influence and another two counts of aggravated assault by vehicle while under the influence. As he awaits his preliminary court hearing, the families of the two people he killed may be wondering if they have any recourse.
The accident happened Nov. 30 as the man, who is from the western Pennsylvania town of Mahoningtown, was driving on Route 422 near the Ohio border. Local police said he was under the influence of alcohol when his car crossed the center line and collided with a pickup truck. The truck driver was killed in the head-on collision, as was the car driver’s front-seat passenger. Both men were in their early 60s. The car driver was injured and taken to a hospital for treatment.
Accidents like these are all too common on nights like New Year’s Eve, when drinking and partying is the norm and it’s easy for people to lose track of how much alcohol they’ve consumed. Whether you chose to stay in for the night or went out on the town, we hope you had a safe and happy New Year’s Eve celebration. But if you weren’t so lucky and suffered injuries in a car accident due to someone else’s negligence, it’s not too early to start exploring options for making things right. You may be able to receive compensation if the person who caused the accident was drinking or otherwise acting in a careless manner.
Source: New Castle News, “Man charged in double-fatal car accident,” Dec. 31, 2012