There is an inherent risk that comes with driving one’s car on Pennsylvania’s roads and highways. Poor weather, rough road conditions or even a momentary lapse in judgment or attention on the part of another driver can easily result in a car accident.
Yet few people actually anticipate one getting behind the wheel with an intent to harm others (or displaying a blatant disregard for others’ safety). It is for this very reason that most find themselves willing to accept the risk. However, the fact that intoxicated drivers still pose a threat to the state’s motorists shows that expectation is not always meet.
Intoxicated driver causes multi-car collision in Northampton Township
Sadly, the victims of the negligence of drunk drivers often suffer disproportionately. This fact was on full display in a recent accident that occurred in Northampton Township. The local ABC News affiliate reports that a man attempting to pass another vehicle while traveling at a high rate of speed ended up slamming into another head-on. Responders to the accident transported the four teenage occupants of the vehicle he hit (along with himself and a passenger from his own vehicle with serious injuries. Authorities later reported that not only was the man intoxicated at the time of the accident, but his UK drivers’ license was not valid in the state and he carried an expired work visa.
Civil penalties alongside criminal justice
The parties responsible for accidents in cases like this may often face criminal charges due to their actions. Such news may dishearten accident victims needing compensation for their accident expenses (due to the assumption that they have to wait for criminal proceedings to conclude before they can pursue a liability). Yet it should not; the law allows for both civil and criminal matters to occur simultaneously.
