A 25-year-old man was charged in Biloxi, Alabama, with two counts of DUI causing injury after being taken into police custody on Nov. 20. According to the report, the man allegedly caused a car accident on Nov. 17 at U.S. 90 and Veterans Avenue that involved four vehicles.
Officials involved in the incident stated that the man rear-ended a vehicle that had been stopped at a red light. The impact of the collision resulted in a chain-reaction that caused damage to two additional vehicles. The impact caused one vehicle to catch fire, which in turn caused two people to become critically injured. One of those injured, a woman, was taken to the University of South Alabama Burn Center. Both people were still in critical condition when the report was released.
Before the man was taken into custody, a justice court judge issued a warrant for the man. His bond was set at $500,000. He was being held at the Harrison County Jail. When car accidents occur, those who are involved may suffer serious injuries. However, car accidents that are caused by drunk drivers may have serious consequences as the drunk drivers may not attempt to reduce their speed or may misjudge where other vehicles are located around them. In some cases, the drunk driver may then flee the scene in order to avoid prosecution.
Someone who is severely injured in a car accident caused by another driver may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit to seek compensation for the costs associated with the accident. While the injured person usually would file the lawsuit against the driver responsible for the accident, they may be able to seek compensation from their own insurance company if the driver cannot be found.
Source: sunherald.com, “Man arrested on DUI in Sunday chain-reaction crash”, Patrick Ochs, November 20, 2013
