California Injury Blog
A motorcycle versus auto accident caused by a suspected drunk driver in the Morongo Valley on October 19, 2008 sent four people to the hospital with injuries. According to the Hi-Desert Star, the injured victims were Marco Garcia, 24 and Erica Jacome, 20, both of National City; Toni Bahe, 32, and Adam Carsner, 38, both of Long Beach. The suspected drunk driver, 35-year-old Carlos Rodriguez of Long Beach was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving.
California Highway Patrol officials said Rodriguez was driving his 2001 Honda westbound on the Twentynine Palms Highway. He was just west of North Star Trail when he rear-ended a 2007 Suzuki motorcycle driven by Garcia. Both Garcia and his passenger, Jacome were thrown from the motorcycle onto the roadway. Both were injured but were able to make it to the shoulder. Rodriguez as well as his passengers, Bahe and Carsner, also suffered moderate injuries.
It’s a relief that Marco Garcia and Erica Jacome were not critically or fatally injured in this 10/19/08 auto accident. This could have turned out a lot worse. I wish them, as well as the other injured victims, a speedy recovery. I hope Rodriguez is held criminally and civilly responsible for this accident that caused injury to all these victims.
California Vehicle Code Section 23153 (a) states: “It is unlawful for any person, while under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or drug, or under the combined influence of any alcoholic beverage and drug, to drive a vehicle and concurrently do any act forbidden by law, or neglect any duty imposed by law in driving the vehicle, which act or neglect proximately causes bodily injury to any person other than the driver.”
The families of Marco Garcia and Eric Jacome, as well as the other passengers in the Honda, would be well-advised to retain the services of a skilled California personal injury attorney who will help protect their rights and get the compensation they rightfully deserve.
In California, there were a total of 3,956 traffic fatalities in 2001 of which 1,569 (40 percent) were alcohol related according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving Orange County Chapter. During the same period, there were also 31,806 DUI accident related injuries in California.
Is driving drunk worth it? These numbers speak for themselves. Not only do drunk drivers cause death and/or injury to other commuters but also their own passengers, as it happened in this Morongo Valley accident. Drunk drivers not only face criminal prosecution, but are also financially pursued by law firms such as ours that work hard to compensate injured clients who suffer as a result of the intoxicated driver’s negligence and callous disregard for human life.