New York man charged in alleged drunk driving accident

A man police believe was an astonishing four times over the legal limit has been charged in connection with an accident that seriously injured another driver, according to local news. New York police are calling this tragedy a drunk driving accident and have charged the driver with aggravated DWI. A court date was scheduled for Feb. 26. 

The accident report shows the 44-year-old New York resident was traveling south on State Route 22 when his vehicle crossed the center line and struck an oncoming vehicle head-on. The driver of the other vehicle was badly injured in the crash, and she was rushed to a local hospital. Her injuries were judged by medical professionals to be non life-threatening.

Upon interviewing the 44-year-old driver, police suspected he was intoxicated and administered a breath test. Police say he blew roughly .31 percent, nearly four times the legal limit of .08 in the state of New York. He now faces a misdemeanor charge of aggravated driving while intoxicated, in addition to traffic tickets. 

The only upside to a drunk driving accident of this nature is that no one was killed in the process. If the man is found guilty of the DWI charge he could face harsh penalties. Separately, the injured woman is entitled under New York law to file a personal injury lawsuit against him and any other party with an ownership interest in the vehicle the man was driving. The civil suit is not dependent on a guilty verdict in the criminal trial, and any incriminating evidence from those proceedings could be offered to support a personal injury case. 

Source: patch.com, “Brewster Man Charged with Aggravated DWI“, Lanning Taliafarro, Feb. 18, 2015