Eureka Drunk Driving Accident – DUI Driver Collides with Public Fence
I’m Ed Smith, a Eureka personal injury lawyer. On Sunday, April 30, 2017, the Eureka Police Department arrested a local man after he was involved in a hit-and-run accident during which his vehicle was caught on video crashing through the fence of a public walkway and, briefly, going airborne.
Incident Details
The incident occurred around 7:30 in the morning. According to witness testimony and video evidence taken from local storefront surveillance camera footage, the driver, a 21-year-old male resident of Eureka, had been driving a black, four-door sedan southbound on Highway 101 at dangerous speeds when the driver drove the vehicle off of the road and into a small public walkway in front of Pacific Motorsports that was surrounded by a low wooden fence.
Watch Youtube Video – DUI Driver Catches Air in Eureka
The sedan collided with the fence as well as a couple of road signs during the stunt and sped off down the highway immediately afterward.
Police and Citizen Response
According to a Facebook post from Eureka Police Department Officer Ryan McElroy, officers were able to locate and arrest the dangerous driver thanks to the actions of a local man who followed the speeding sedan. With information provided by the “good samaritan” citizen, officers quickly found and apprehended the driver before he caused any further damage to persons or property.
The driver was arrested on the spot and charged with driving under influence of intoxicants.
Injuries and Damages
Nobody was reported to have been injured as a result of the accident, and photos from the scene of the collision show damage to the area to be minimal and contained mostly to the low fence surrounding the public walkway. The vehicle did barely miss a fire hydrant, which, if struck, could have caused dangerous road conditions as well as traffic delays on the highway.
Driving Under the Influence
Driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs is a serious problem and, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has been shown to be responsible for nearly one-third of all traffic accident fatalities across the United States. Additionally, many of the drivers who were found to be intoxicated while driving during a fatal accident had records of previous drunk and/or high driving.
In the event of an accident, somebody found to be driving under the influence of an intoxicant is considered negligent and is liable to pay for damages caused by the accident. However, the convicted driver is not always the only party liable to pay. People who enabled the driver to drive under the influence by giving the driver alcohol or access to a vehicle when they have reason to believe that the driver will operate their vehicle while intoxicated can also sometimes be considered negligent or liable.
Eureka Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Eureka personal injury lawyer. If a car accident has resulted in a serious or fatal injury for you or somebody important to you, please call me at (707) 564-1900 for friendly advice. To call and receive a phone consultation with me is free. In other area codes, you can call me without toll at (800) 404-5400.
I’ve been working hard to help residents of Eureka in receiving fair verdicts and/or settlements in their cases involving wrongful death and personal injury since 1982.
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Image Attribution: Chris Yarzab – via Wikimedia Commons
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