South Sacramento DUI Crash
South Sacramento DUI Crash – In a South Sacramento DUI crash that occurred on September 16, 2018, one man was hospitalized with severe brain injuries, and two little girls were hurt. This happened after the Mustang they were riding in was T-boned by a driver who was fleeing from a traffic stop. The collision occurred at the intersection of Florin Road and Power Inn Road. The two children, ages 6 and 10, were also transported to a hospital for treatment. The injured man was identified as Lupe Barron, age 34. Five people were injured in the collision that scattered debris around the Sacramento intersection.
South Sacramento DUI Crash Details
Edgar Melchor, age 22, was placed under arrest after being suspected of drunk driving. However, he was released and was scheduled to appear in court on September 27. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family pay for the mounting medical costs, as well as a car wash, which is being held from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at 4930 Franklin Boulevard on Sunday, September 30. The family of Barron is hopeful that he will recover from his traumatic brain injury and be able to return to the activities he enjoyed.
Sacramento DUI Crash Statistics
Nationwide, more than 10,000 people die annually in accidents involving drunk driving. That means one person is killed every 50 minutes, or roughly 29 individuals die daily. In 2016, 10,497 people died. This is 33 percent of all accidents that occur. Overall, males are involved in drunk driving accidents more than women by a factor of 21 to 14 percent. In Sacramento County, out of 11,710 people injured and killed, 1,193 were part of a drunk driving accident. In Sacramento alone, the number of drunk drivers involved in accidents was 429 out of 4,502 injuries and deaths. This places Sacramento second out of 15 other California cities of a similar size.
How Alcohol Affects a Driver in a DUI Crash
Overall, alcohol has a deleterious effect of a driver’s ability to operate a vehicle safely. Let’s look at the effects of alcohol at different blood concentrations:
- BAC level – 0.02: A driver appears more relaxed and has some impairment of judgment. He or she may begin to have problems with multitasking.
- BAC level – 0.05: A driver’s behavior may become slightly more exaggerated. He or she may have trouble focusing their eyes, which can have a profound effect on tracking moving vehicles. Muscle control can be decreased, so steering is affected in some cases. Emergencies will most likely not be responded to appropriately.
- BAC level – 0.08: This represents the legal limit, at and beyond which operating a vehicle is illegal. Speech, ability to walk and hearing is affected. One’s reaction time is slower than normal, and judgment is grossly decreased. The driver not only lacks the ability to concentrate but experiences memory difficulties and will be unable to process necessary information during a DUI crash.
- BAC level – 0.10: At this level of alcohol in the blood, a driver displays slurred speech and a decreased ability to think and concentrate. They are unable to use the brakes effectively or stay in their lane.
- BAC level – 0.15: By this point, a driver will stumble and is substantially impaired.
Watch YouTube Video: Drinking & Driving – How Alcohol Affects Your body. This animated video demonstrates how alcohol affects the body each time we drink.
South Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a South Sacramento personal injury lawyer. Accidents can have devastating consequences, which are compounded by additional grief when those injuries occurred due to a drunk driver. If you or your loved ones were harmed by a drunk driver in a DUI crash or through another form of negligence, I am here to offer you compassionate, free and friendly advice. Please phone me at (916) 921-6400 locally or at (800) 404-5400 when calling from outside the area code. You can also reach me through our contact form online if you prefer.
It has been my honor and privilege to have represented many of the good people of Northern California and Sacramento in particular in obtaining fair compensation for their accident injuries in my 36+ year career. I handle many kinds of cases, including all types of car accidents, motorcycle crashes, and wrongful death.
For a long time now, I have been a member of the Million Dollar Forum, which is only open to those trial lawyers who have demonstrated a win in excess of one million dollars for a client through a verdict or settlement.
Learn more about my practice by reading reviews by some of my previous clients and information on some of our prior cases at the following sites:
Photo Attribution: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-driving-and-drinking-174936/
:cd cha [cs 826] cv