Drinking and Driving Causes 11,000 Wrongful Death Accidents Every Year
Adults drank too much and got behind the wheel about 112 million times in 2010—that is almost 300,000 incidents of drinking and driving each day—according to a CDC Vital Signs study released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The four million adults who drink and drive each year put everyone on the road at risk,” said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “In fact, nearly 11,000 people are killed every year in crashes that involve an alcohol–impaired driver.”
“When drunk drivers make a mistakes on the road, they tend to be major mistakes like crossing into oncoming traffic, rolling their car or striking an object,” said Attorney Fred Pritzker. “The results are often catastrophic.”
The study also found that:
- Men were responsible for 81 percent of drinking and driving in 2010.
- Young men, ages 21–34, made up only 11 percent of the U.S. population in 2010, yet were responsible for 32 percent of all episodes of drinking and driving.
- Eighty–five percent of drinking and driving episodes were reported by people who also reported binge drinking. Binge drinking means five or more drinks for men or four or more drinks for women during a short period of time.
Two Minnesota Fatal Accidents Claim Four Lives
Two separate Minnesota fatal accidents have claimed four lives within the span of 12 hours, according to the State Patrol.
In the first accident, a Chevy Yukon SUV broadsided a car at a major intersection northwest of Duluth in Hermantown, killing the car’s driver and only passenger.
The intersection was controlled by a semaphore, but the State Patrol did not indicate which vehicle may have gone against a red light. The collision occurred early Monday morning, shortly after midnight at the four-lane divided highway intersection of Highway 53 and Arrowhead Road. The SUV was northbound on 53 and the car was westbound on Arrowhead, the patrol said.
The Duluth News-Tribune identified the car driver as Timonthy J. Schlies, 26, of Duluth. The State Patrol said the passenger in the car was Hans C. Warren, 27, of Duluth.
The driver of the SUV was Daniel D. Dougherty, 50 , of Hermantown. Dougherty, who was identified by the Duluth News-Tribune as the owner of Dougherty Funeral Home of Duluth, received no apparent injuries, according to the State Patrol.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a car or truck accident, contact a Minnesota car accident lawyerat PritzkerOlsen Attorneys. As a premier car accident law firm, PritzkerOlsen has recovered millions for accident victims. Contact us at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit the firm’s online case consultation form for free.
About 11 hours after the Hermantown fatal accident, two people from Aberdeen, S.D., died from injuries they suffered on State Highway 12 in Big Stone County in a Minnesota semi truck accident. The patrol said the Kenworth truck tractor and trailer was eastbound while the car was westbound. The collision occurred in the eastbound lane and driver of the large truck suffered no apparent injuries.
The deceased were identified as Marcia B. Landon, 82, the driver, and William H. Landon, 86, a passenger.
Fatal Accident Involving Flying Ice and Minnesota Uninsured Motorist Benefits
A Minnesota motorist, Bob Brobst, was killed on December 26, 2008 near Rochester, Minnesota. A 4-foot chunk of ice flew off the top of a trailer attached to a pickup truck that was headed in the opposite direction on a two lane county road. It hit his windshield, activated his airbags, and sent his car into an electrical pole on the opposite side of the road. He never regained consciousness and died from the injuries two weeks later.
Minnesota statute 169.42 and forbids any person to “throw, deposit, place, or dump” any of an extensive list of items onto public road. The list includes snow, ice, and trash.
Even in situations such as this where the other driver is unidentified, an injured person or surviving family members likely have a legal claim for money damages against their own insurer for what are known as uninsured motorist benefits. This portion of an insurance policy is in place to protect injured persons and their family members where an unidentified motorist causes injuries.
If you or a family member has suffered injuries from flying ice or other debris from another vehicle, please contact us for a free consultation: 612-338-0202, 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) or free consultation form.
Reference: Jim Foti, “The rare but deadly danger of flying ice,” Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jan. 16, 2009.
Keywords: Minnesota fatal accident, flying ice, wrongful death, Minnesota uninsured motorist benefits, car accident claim, Minnesota car accident lawyer, flying debris accident, pickup truck accident.
