Articles Posted in Drunk Driving Victims

Tougher DUI laws may be on the horizon in Florida, as U.S. lawmakers decide whether to enact a bill aiming to curb drunk driving accidents in Fort Myers and throughout the country.

The proposed bill would offer money to cash-strapped states if they agreed to adopt an ignition interlock program for first-time DUI offenders.

The new law would set aside $500 million for highway safety initiatives across the country, with about $25 million of that going to state governments that make it a priority to remove drunk drivers from their roads.

Florida already has an ignition interlock program, though it is more often utilized for repeat DUI offenders. It works like this: A person who has been convicted of a DUI can apply for a restricted driver’s license. In order to obtain that license, the state would require that they install one of these devices, which works much like those used by law enforcement, and measures the blood alcohol content in the driver’s breath before the car can be started.

Although critics – namely those with the American Beverage Institute – argue that the bill would cost states more to implement than it would be worth, we would point out that it is the drunk drivers who pay to have the devices installed. Also, what kind of price would you put on the life of your loved one?

Our Fort Myers drunk driving accident attorneys have been long-time supporters of local initiatives that take aim at drivers who drink, including sponsorship of the Mobile Eyes campaign through the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. This is the program in which anyone who calls 911 to report a drunk driver and mentions the Mobile Eyes campaign will receive a $50 reward if that driver is pulled over and arrested for a DUI.

The local sheriff’s office has held many sobriety checkpoints in recent years. In 2010, the sheriff’s office reported 1,096 arrests for driving under the influence. That is an astonishingly increase of 32 percent since 1999, when there were 741 arrests.

This points not only to the increase of drunk drivers on our roads, but also the increased enforcement efforts. But think of how much more our law enforcement officials could accomplish if they didn’t have to spend so much of their time busting drunk drivers? This new bill would stop potentially impaired drivers before they could even get on the road. And it will save lives.

Some may see such a measure as a harsh penalty for someone convicted of just one DUI offense. If the only person affected by drunk driving was the person behind the wheel, we maybe could understand that point of view. But drunk drivers put everyone at great risk of serious injury or death. Also consider that, according to MADD researchers, drunk drivers have usually driven drunk about 80 times before they are ever arrested.

And it only takes one short trip for a drunk driver to ruin or take an innocent life.
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A Cape Coral drunk driving accident landed a man an 11 year prison sentence, according to the Cape Coral Daily Breeze. The accident happened back in 2009 and killed one of his passengers. Authorities say the drunk driver sped down Santa Barbara, lost control of his vehicle, over corrected, spun out, drove through someone’s front yard, hit a building and flipped. Through this high speed chaos, the passenger in the vehicle was ejected and ended up underneath the vehicle. The passenger was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Our Cape Coral drunk driving accident attorneys understand that the driver tested for a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.238 and 0.240. In the state of Florida, a driver is considered drunk with a BAC of 0.08 or higher. Here at Associates and Bruce Scheiner, we deal with too many of these kinds of horrific cases. We unfortunately see an increase in these cases during the holidays. That’s why we support Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the efforts of local law enforcement at sobriety checkpoints. As the holiday season approach, our message to you is please don’t drink and drive!

The drunk driver pleaded no contest to charges of DUI damage to person or property and to DUI manslaughter back in March for the death of his passenger. According to a spokeswoman for the State Attorney’s Office, the man received 131.7 months behind bars and another 78 days in jail for both of the counts. The sentences run concurrently. The man’s driver’s license has also been revoked for life.

In Florida, there were nearly 800 fatal accidents in 2008 that involved a driver who was legally drunk. More than 1,000 people were killed in the state during 2008 because of alcohol-related accidents.

In 2009, alcohol-related accidents accounted for nearly 40 percent of all fatal accidents in the state of Florida. During that year, there were nearly 800 people killed in these accidents. Nearly 100 of these fatalities killed those under the age of 21.

Statistics show that three in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related accident at some point in their lives. In 2009, someone died every 48 minutes because of these types of accidents. Across the U.S. nearly 11,000 people were killed because an intoxicated person got behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. Nearly 70 percent of these accidents happened from midnight to 3:00 a.m.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s are holidays that increase the risks for these accidents. As a matter of fact, there were nearly 500 people on U.S. roadways on New Year’s Day who died in 2009. Forty percent of these accidents were alcohol-related. Drivers age 21- to 24-years-old are most likely to be involved in one of these accidents.

The average BAC level among drunk drivers involved in fatal accidents in 2009 was 0.17, which is more than twice the legal limit.
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In the news recently is the pending sentence that will be handed to a civic leader and former attorney after pleading guilty to a drunk-driving accident that killed a 61-year-old motorcyclist in October 2009.

13 News reports a tape was played during the sentencing hearing that voiced the drunk driver admitting to a state trooper that he drank half a bottle of vodka during a Florida Gators football game before driving home. The former defense attorney turned himself, but the prosecution is requesting the driver spend 12.5 years in prison. Supporters stood in front of the judge professing the good deeds that the defendant has done in the community and his many charitable contributions to help others in hopes of reducing the sentence.

Sebring drunk driving accident attorneys know that no amount of money or donations can equate to the value of taking a person’s life. Drunk drivers must get a fair trial and if guilty be punished to the full extent of the law, even when they are in the public eye.

A local man was recently sentenced to 15 years behind bars after a drunk driving accident in North Fort Myers that killed two nuns and injured a third, according to the North Fort Myers Neighbor. The man struck a plea agreement with a guilty plea on two counts of DUI manslaughter and DUI unlawful blood alcohol .15 or higher, says the State Attorney’s Office.

After he serves his 15 years in jail, he’s to be placed on state probation for another 15 years. If he violates probation, he could be put on probation for an additional 15 years. The man could have faced up to 24 years in jail if he handn’t taken the deal.

“During his 15 years of probation, he can have no alcohol, must undergo random alcohol screenings and must give one lecture a year at a church or school about the dangers of alcohol abuse,” said State Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Samantha Syoen.

Our Naples drunk driving accident attorneys understand how devastating an accident like this can be. Drunk drivers throw their consideration for other people’s lives out the window when they get behind the wheel. Drivers like this all too often cause serious or fatal injuries.

The North Fort Myers man caused this accident back in September of 2009. He was turning onto Gran Via drive from U.S. 41 when he drove in front of the car transporting the three nuns. The vehicle’s collided. The driver was later tested for alcohol and returned a .228 reading.

One of the nuns dies on scene. The other two were taken to Lee Memorial Hospital where a second was later pronounced dead. The third was treated for her injuries and released.

In 2009, Florida lost more than 2,500 lives because of traffic accidents. More than 900 of those fatalities were the result of traffic accidents that involved at least one intoxicated driver.

Florida state law requires the following for a DUI first conviction:

-A fine of anywhere from $250 to $500.

-You can get up to 50 hours of community service.

-Probation, but not for more than a year.

-Jail time, but no more than for 6 months.

-License revocation for a minimum of 180 days.

-Completion of 12 hours of DUI School.

-Imprisonment, of no more than 9 months, with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher with a minor in the vehicle.

When this is all said and done, the average cost of a DUI conviction in Florida is as much as $20,000. That’s when you factor in all of the various fees, fines, defense costs and insurance increases.

And it doesn’t end there, a DUI conviction will stay on your Florida driving record for years. This is all best-case scenario because like the North Fort Myers man, you could spend quite a bit of time behind bar if you injure someone while intoxicated behind the wheel.
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