If you have been following this blog, you already known that driving under the influence is unfortunately one of the most common causes of car accidents, injuries and death on the road in Southern California. Worse yet, such accidents could in most cases be avoided if drivers would drink responsibly and not drive when under the influence. A driver under the influence is not only risking his or her own life on the road, he or she is risking the lives and well-being of other drivers on the road. We have seen people sustain permanent injuries, lose limbs, sustain traumatic brain injuries and/or spinal chord injuries, and even lose their lives, due to drunk drivers on the road. And while a person may sue a drunk driver for damages sustained in such an accident, including damages for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage, and even wrongful death, money damages unfortunately can only go so far in returning an injured person’s life back to normal.
This all comes to mind when considering this week’s crash on the 91 Freeway in Corona, when a man driving under the influence plowed into a disabled car on the freeway, killing the passenger in the disabled car and severely injuring the driver. According to the Los Angeles Times, the disabled car had been stopped in one of the lanes due to an earlier accident, when the drunk driver plowed into it, causing the disabled car to burst into flames. While the driver was able to escape the car, the passenger was not so lucky, and she died at the scene. The drunk driver sustained minor injuries.