A conviction on a drunk driving charge can lead to serious consequences. Besides the risk of jail time and fines, a person who is convicted might be forced to give up a driver's license, which could hinder his or her ability to work. But if people are injured in a drunk driving accident, more charges can be filed, and prosecutors are likely going to want to make an example out of the driver.
This is the case with an Alabama man who was charged with DUI earlier this month when the pickup truck he was driving crashed into a school bus in Hoover, Alabama. The day after the wreck, the 50-year-old man was also charged with first-degree assault.
According to police, the man is being transferred to a jail in Jefferson County, and his bond was set at $30,500.
Police claim to have received phone calls the morning of the accident about a pickup truck being driven recklessly. The man's truck reportedly crossed the centerline, where it hit the school bus that was coming down a hill. The bus driver and a middle school student were injured in the accident; the injuries were described as non-life threatening.
There is no information about whether any blood, breath or field sobriety tests were conducted to see if the man was legally drunk or not.
It can be easy for people to want to rush to judgment in an accident where children are involved, but it's important to remember that the man has the same presumption of innocence as everyone else. The man has a right to challenge law enforcement's assessment of his condition.
Source: The Birmingham News, "Assault charge filed in Hoover school bus crash," Val Walton, Jan. 18, 2012
No Comments
Leave a comment