Michelle Kermani, a 20-year-old woman from Newport Beach, was injured in a DUI rear end car crash reportedly caused by 41-year-old Jean Bower, principal of Westwood Basics Plus Elementary School in Irvine, according to a recent MSNBC news report.
Officials suspect Bower was driving under the influence of alcohol and crashed her Lexus IS200 into Kermani’s Hyundai Tiburon on Jamboree Road in Irvine near the intersection of San Joaquin Hills Road and Eastbluff Drive. Phillip Okura, 21, a Newport Beach resident, was Kermani’s only passenger. Newport Beach Police spokesman Evan Sailor said Bower was arrested after field sobriety tests. Kermani had reportedly complained of neck pain.
In California, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol level of .08 or more. If it is determined that Ms. Bower was driving under the influence of alcohol, she will face criminal DUI charges.
Not all auto accident injuries are immediately known or felt. I’d urge the collision victims to undergo a complete medical examination to determine the extent of their injuries. There are numerous cases of people involved in a car crash and with no visible injuries that later discover severe and sometimes life threatening injuries.
It would benefit the accident victims to consult a serious car collision attorney to find out their rights to compensation for their injuries, medical expenses and losses. If Bower was at fault and uninsured or did not have enough insurance, the victims may benefit from making an uninsured or under insured motorist claim.
Please give me a call if you have been injured in a rear end auto collision and would like to discuss your case.