Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog
Driving is a dangerous thing with out distractions. When drugs and alcohol are involved it becomes a life and death situation. Never hesitate to contact a personal injury lawyer if you think you have been in an accident where the other driver may have been impaired by drugs or alcohol. According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) car accidents are not decreasing, especially accidents involving alcohol impairment. In 2009, just in Texas, there were a total of 12,508 car accidents involving DWIs, 867 of those accidents were fatal. When looking at the map of regions where most DWI accidents occur, we noticed the majority of them have happened in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. (View map)
What is Texas doing in order to prevent accidents due to the impairment of alcohol? Below is the list of current possible consequences for a driver’s first offense:
• Up to $2,000 in fines
• Jail time of 3 to 180 days
• Fee to retain driver’s license – $1,000 to $2,000 per year
• Possible probation for 1 year
• Suspended license for up to 1 year
In 2005 a 17-year-old El Paso man, Felix Padilla, was convicted of drunken vehicular homicide after rolling his car in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The accident injured one passenger and tragically killed another, both high school students. Padilla was sentenced to probation but according to court records his probation was never successfully completed. On July 22 Padilla was pulled over again in Las Cruces for speeding. After several failed sobriety tests Padilla was taken into custody. While searching his car, officers found cocaine, a bag of marijuana, two marijuana pipes and a marijuana grinder. According to the article, “New Mexico statute does not allow for juvenile adjudications to be used to enhance subsequent drunken driving convictions, nor do youthful offender statutes allow juveniles to be charged as adults, both laws that need to be toughened said District Attorney Amy Orlando.”
State records show that in between Padilla’s two arrests he had also been convicted of assault causing bodily injury to a family member, driving with a suspended license and driving 16 to 20 miles over the speed limit in 2008. On August 18 Felix Padilla was indicted on the current charges, felony cocaine possession, aggravated drunken driving, no driver’s license and possession of marijuana. Why did it take at least four arrests and six years for Padilla to serve time? Do courts need to reconsider offenses as a juvenile and pay closer attention before another accident occurs? (read the full article)
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We can never be too careful on the road. At Borchardt Law Firm we have seen and dealt with many cases involving DWI car accidents. We wish no family has to ever experience tragic accidents, but when accidents happen our firm has successfully represented families who have been victims of drivers not following the laws. We hope that the work we do will protect future generations of Texans. Feel free to give us a call.
Toll Free: 866.832.9300
Phone: 817.332.9300
Fax: 817.332.9301
firm@attorneysmb.com
Burnett Building
801 Cherry St #1005
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
Sources:
To learn more about Texas DUI laws please click on the following link
http://www.duiconsequences.com/state-info/texas-dui-laws.html
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