For one West Allis family, the unthinkable happened on April 29, 2012. Two separate fatal car accidents resulted in the death of a mother and her son.
Around 1:00 a.m., the mother was killed in a hit-and-run accident. After her son received word of the accident, a friend raced him to the hospital. The son's friend had been drinking and was driving around 90 miles per hour. The friend slowed to around 60 miles per hour to make a left hand turn. Still, he was driving too fast, which caused his vehicle to roll over and eject the son and another passenger. The son died at the scene and several others suffered significant personal injury.
The friend driving the vehicle was charged with four felonies, including homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. Two hours after the accident, a blood test showed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.113.
This tragedy highlights the dangers of reckless and drunken driving.
Reckless and Drunken Driving in Wisconsin
Wisconsin law prohibits individuals from endangering the safety of a person or property by negligently operating a vehicle. In addition, drivers of legal drinking age may not operate a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration, or BAC, of 0.08 or higher.
In the case of this West Allis family, reckless and drunken driving led to a fatal rollover accident.
While rollover accidents are not as common as other types of crashes, they often result in serious injuries or death. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, although only around 3 percent of crashes result in a vehicle rolling over, rollover accidents account for more than one-third of passenger deaths.
Motorists should always drive within the speed limit and refuse to drive if they have been drinking. Taking these steps can go a long way toward preventing rollover accidents from occurring.
Source: Fox 6 Now, "Bail Reduced for Man Accused of Killing Friend in Car Crash," Trisha Bee, May 7, 2012.
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