Mark Lee Cummings claims he doesn’t remember the crash that took the life of Rudy Mora back in 2005. Cummings, who was driving his maroon van on a suspended license, struck Rudy and then left the scene. A short time later the police found Cummings and arrested him. According to the Orange County Register, when Mark Cummings was arrested he had several bottles of beer in his van – including a half-empty bottle of beer in the car’s cup holder.
But, this wasn’t Cummings first DUI! Remarkably, between the years of 2000-2004 Cummings had 4 DUI convictions, and he was still driving his van! Finally, this past Monday Cummings was convicted of second-degree murder for hitting a bicyclist while driving drunk and then fleeing the scene. Additionally, Cummings was convicted of the additional charges of driving on a suspended license, hit and run involving an injury, and driving under the influence with two or more past convictions.
According to the National Highway Traffic Administration, 25% of drivers that were involved in fatal car crashes, involved a driver who ingested alcohol and had a blood alcohol level of .21; twice the legal limit in all states. Additionally, in 2003 in alcohol related fatal injuries 33% of those drivers were driving with a blood alcohol content of more than .08.
Finally, Mark Cummings will be off the streets, but there are many more drunk drivers out there to take his place. Until we stop treating drunk drivers with ‘kid gloves’ they will thumb their nose at the law. The truth is Mark Cummings should not have been allowed to be on the road!
If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident of any kind, please call Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys, at 800-259-6373 for a free consultation.