Two people were injured in a Huntington Beach car accident after a suspected drunk driver struck the center median. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the DUI collision occurred on Pacific Coast Highway between Warner Avenue and Seapoint Street in Huntington Beach, the evening of April 13, 2012. Officials say a driver was speeding while under the influence, when the vehicle hit the center median and forced a second vehicle to overturn. Two passengers in the overturned vehicle were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the speeding vehicle was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence.
My thoughts and prayers are with the injured victims of this Orange County car accident. I wish them the very best for a complete and speedy recovery.
Orange County DUI Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2009 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were four fatalities and 141 injuries as a result of DUI collisions in the city of Huntington Beach. Throughout Orange County, 62 people were killed and 1,340 were injured in DUI collisions, during that same year. Also, recent statistics released by the California Office of Traffic Safety show that Huntington Beach has the fifth highest number of alcohol-related crashes in the state for a city its size. The city also has one of the highest DUI arrest rates in the state for its size.
What Caused This Rollover Accident?
Based on the news article, the vehicle that caused the accident was traveling at a high rate of speed before crashing into the center median. According to California Vehicle Code Section 22350 (Basic Speed Law): “No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property.”
Officials have arrested the speeding motorist on suspicion of driving under the influence, which is illegal under California law. According to California Vehicle Code Section 23152 (a): “It is unlawful for any person who is under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or drug, or under the combined influence of any alcoholic beverage and drug, to drive a vehicle.”
Liability Issues
In such cases where negligence is involved, injured victims can seek compensation from the at-fault parties for damages including medical expenses, lost wages, hospitalization, rehabilitation, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. Car accident victims would be well advised to contact an experienced Huntington Beach personal injury lawyer, who has a successful track record of financially pursuing drunk drivers for the damages they cause. For more information about the dangers of driving under the influence, please visit the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) web site at www.madd.org.