Most New Mexico residents know that drinking and driving are a bad combination and frowned on by law enforcement everywhere. Driving while under the influence of alcohol or any other substance that affects reflexes and judgment is an act of negligence, one that causes many car accidents. New Mexico’s laws are designed not only to punish drivers who drive after drinking but also to serve as warnings to others. Even so, drunk drivers continue to operate vehicles and put their own and others’ lives in danger.
In Albuquerque recently, a driver crashed his pickup truck head-on into a sedan carrying five people on Lomas Boulevard underneath the Interstate 25 overpass, according to police. The pickup driver was arrested for driving under the influence. All five occupants of the sedan, including two children, were injured. Three were trapped inside their vehicle. The conditions of those who were injured is not known.
The pickup driven by the alleged drunk driver had only slight damage, but the sedan suffered severe front-end damage. Lomas Boulevard was closed to traffic while Albuquerque police investigated the accident scene with the help of the Albuquerque Fire Department.
No one was killed in this accident, but nationally some 40 percent of highway deaths involve drunk driving, and thousands more people are injured each year. The suffering of both victims and family members can never be fully compensated, but financial losses from medical bills and funeral costs for those killed can be addressed.
Drunk drivers, if found guilty, usually have their licenses taken away and sometimes serve time in jail. Victims of these accidents should consult an experienced legal professional who can assist with a personal injury lawsuit.
Source: Albuquerque Journal, “Five people injured after car crash with suspected drunk driver“, Patrick Lohmann, April 16, 2014