A crushed 12-pack of beer helps tell investigators the story of an accident that occurred on the Long Island Expressway in New York recently. The car accident injured four people, one fatally. The 12-pack was seen crushed on the road next to the flipped vehicle, and the passengers admitted they had been drinking that night.
According to police, an SUV was headed east on the Long Island Expressway when its driver lost control of the SUV causing it to slam into a concrete divider and flip. Three of the passengers were taken to Elmhurst Hospital to be treated for minor injuries. A fourth passenger was sitting in the front seat at the time of the accident. Even though he was also hurried to Elmhurst Hospital in Flushing, medical personnel were unable to overcome the severity of the passenger's injuries, and he died at the hospital.
Authorities arrested the driver at the scene of the accident. He has been charged with vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated and criminally negligent homicide. It is unknown whether the driver suffered any injuries in the accident. Passengers in the vehicle admitted to drinking to the point where they didn't remember drinking with the driver of the SUV that night.
The passengers may be spared from remembering the events of that night, but the family of the deceased passenger will forever remember the tragedy that resulted. Even as the driver faces criminal charges in connection with car accident, the family of the victim has the right to file a wrongful death claim against him as well. If the driver is convicted of a crime in connection with the charges against him, the resulting conviction may be offered in evidence by the victim's family as proof of negligence that led to the death of their loved one.
Source: New York Daily News, "Drunk driver arrested after fatal accident on LIE kills passenger riding shotgun," Erik Badia, Jennifer H. Cunningham and Thomas Tracy, Jan. 2, 3013
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