The death of an 18-year-old passenger in a car accident has been blamed on both 22-year-old drivers involved in the two-vehicle Milwaukee crash. Police report that the fatal accident at N. 35th and W. Townsend Streets in the early morning hours of a recent Saturday was caused by drunk driving.
Two people were injured in the crash and taken to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, including one of the drivers. He sustained a neck injury and broken ribs. The other injury victim was a passenger who sustained a lacerated kidney, spleen and liver.
According to Milwaukee police reports, neither driver was carrying a valid driver’s license, but both were tested for high blood alcohol content levels several hours after the accident. The complaint says one driver in a Chevy Monte Carlo was entering the intersection on a flashing yellow light when a second vehicle, a Buick Century, ran a red light and broadsided the Chevy. Police reports say blunt force trauma caused the death of a teenage passenger in the Buick.
Accident investigators say both drivers admitted they had been drinking. One, who confessed that he had been at a party and consumed a pint of alcohol, registered a BAC of .121. The second driver’s BAC test was .167 hours after the fatal crash.
The driver of the Buick, whose passenger died, has been formally charged with driving with a suspended license, homicide by intoxicated driving and causing death and injury with the use of a vehicle while intoxicated.
The second driver was charged with his fourth drunk driving offense in two years as well as driving with a revoked license causing death.
This case shows the devastating consequences of negligent driving. Because two individuals chose to drink and drive, one young man is dead and another victim severely injured. Being injured in a car accident can be very frightening. Aside from injuries sustained, a person may be facing expensive hospital bills that could leave them feeling stranded and helpless. Fortunately, it may be possible to obtain compensation for injuries.
Source: Journal Sentinel, “Two men charged in fatal crash,” 1 June 2011
