News and Articles on Driving Under The Influence

The tragedy of drunk driving has effected the lives of many people. These articles reflect on the many incidents of drunk driving and their effects on local communities. We encourage you to Submit articles which represent the effects of drunk driving on your community.

Ex-Yankee Leyritz To Pay $350K In DUI Case May 26, 2010

FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ― Embattled former New York Yankee Jim Leyritz has entered a settlement with the family of a woman whom he allegedly struck and killed while driving under the influence last year. That family has been awarded $350,000 in a civil suit. Leyritz is accused of drunk driving in 2007 when he struck and killed Fredia Ann Veitch in Ft. Lauderdale. In the wrongful death case the Veitch family is receiving $250,000 from Leyritz right way and $1,000 monthly for the next 100 months starting April 2011. His trial for DUI/Manslaughter is set for July 12th.

Drunk driving victim's family waits for flicker of hope May 26, 2010

New Delhi: He was their only support. He was the breadwinner for a family of 14. On Saturday night when Raj Kumar's auto collided with a car, he was killed — leaving behind a hapless family now desperately searching for a flicker of hope. A passenger was killed, and another two passengers were injured in the crash. Police said they had charged the other driver in the crash — 30-year-old Nivedita Singh, wife of Colonel Rahul Singh — with causing death due to rash and negligent driving. They also allege Singh was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

Weston man sentenced for drunk driving death May 26, 2010

MARATHON COUNTY (WAOW) -- A Weston man will spend five years behind bars for killing an Oshkosh man in a drunk driving crash. Last June police say 23-year-old Matthew Vissers had too much to drink while celebrating his birthday, got behind the wheel of his truck and crashed into the motorcycle of 41-year-old Greg Davis, killing him.

Lexington man charged with DUI in wife's death May 26, 2010

LEXINGTON, SC (WIS) - A Lexington man is charged with drunk driving in the car wreck which killed his wife earlier this month, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Monte Dooley's 2005 Dodge van went off the side of the road, sideswiped a utility pole and went down an embankment. Dooley, 44, of Lexington, was airlifted to Palmetto Health Richland with serious injuries. He was not wearing a seatbelt. Dooley's passenger, Carlyn Dooley, 45, was also not wearing a seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Freedom High School students and parents take part in drug and alcohol May 5, 2010

The families of Amanda Schultz and Terri Buskirk shared life events with an audience of about 70 Freedom High School students. Patricia Jones and her son, Todd, were speaking publicly for the first time about the night that Anthony P. Bruno, 25, allegedly slammed into a car in which Buskirk was a backseat passenger. “Most people in this room are sitting here thinking, ‘It can’t happen to me,’” said Dean Wilson, the program organizer. “But this puts a face on it and makes it real.” “All I’m asking you is to try to learn from Amanda’s mistakes,” said Schultz. “I just ask you to be smart, and that’s all I can ask.”

South Burlington woman carrying 7 kids charged with DUI Mar 29, 2010

Mary R. O’Neil, 37, of South Burlington was arraigned Thursday on charges she was severely drunk when police arrested her last week as she was driving seven children to the movies in Williston. According to a police affidavit, O’Neil had a blood-alcohol content of 0.379 percent — almost five times above the legal limit for driving — when she was pulled over by Williston police after driving over the curb on Cypress Street in the Maple Tree Place complex. O’Neil pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving under the influence and another count of careless and negligent operation of a motor vehicle. Then she was released on personal recognizance, over the objections of Chittenden County State’s Attorney T.J. Donovan. Donovan had sought to have the court set $2,500 bail for O’Neil pending her placement in a residential alcohol treatment facility, but Acting Judge Christopher Davis disagreed, citing O’Neil’s deep ties to the community. (Every 15 Minutes Program News & Media)

Demographic factors also influence drinking and driving Mar 29, 2010

As lawmakers mull over legal fixes for Montana’s drunken driving problem, they might want to consider what federal researchers discovered two years ago: It’s not just the law that influences drinking and driving. Demographic factors, like age and gender, also play a big role. One of the best ways to cut down on drunken driving fatalities is to have a bunch of women over the age of 34 driving around, according to a May 2008 report by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. They’re much less likely to drink and drive. Since 1982, states have passed a total of 245 laws cracking down on drinking and driving, according to the report. Nationally, the number of alcohol-related fatalities has dropped markedly in that time. In 1982, some 35 percent of drivers in fatal car crashes had a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent, what’s now defined as “legally drunk” under Montana law. By 1997, that figure had fallen to just 20 percent. (Every 15 Minutes Program News & Media)

Colorado woman heads to trial in death of Greenwich librarians Mar 29, 2010

DENVER (AP) -- A Colorado woman facing vehicular homicide charges in the deaths of two Riverside women will go on trial next week. Sandra Jacobson is accused of causing an accident in February 2009 that killed 71-year-old Kate McClelland and 54-year-old Kathy Krasniewicz. They were librarians at the Perrot Memorial Library in Old Greenwich who were headed to the Denver airport in a taxi after a convention. (Every 15 Minutes Program News & Media) Greenwich Post

Eight S Korean gov't officials killed in car accident Mar 29, 2010

Eight South Korean government officials, including seven from the agriculture ministry, were confirmed dead in a car accident in the southern part of the country after attending a workshop Friday night, the government said on Saturday. The police said that they were still investigating the exact cause of the crash, as the driver might have lost sight of the rock as heavy fog caused dangerous road conditions Friday night or it could be related to drunk driving. (Every 15 Minutes Program News & Media)

Mesa State honors students who have died since 2007 Mar 29, 2010

Three years ago, Mesa State College students, friends and family gathered on campus to remember freshmen Jake Brock and Jennifer Kois after the two were killed in a car accident caused by a drunken driver. Each spring since that first gathering, the college has sponsored Remembrance Day to honor each student or recent graduate of the college who has died since March 2007. Seven names were added to that original two for this year’s event, which took place Saturday outside Grand Mesa Residence Hall, next to a tree planted in remembrance of Kois and Brock. (Every 15 Minutes Program News & Media)

A lower drink-drive level will make Kiwis safer on the roads Mar 29, 2010

OPINION: It's time to weigh the arguments of opponents against the evidence. In April, the Cabinet will decide whether to lower the blood alcohol limit for driving from 0.08 (80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood) to 0.05mg (50mg alcohol/ 100ml blood) as part of its new road safety strategy, Safer Journeys. There should be no doubt about the decision. A lower limit means people drink less or not at all before they drive because they don't want to get caught driving drunk. This results in fewer accidents caused by alcohol. Polls show a majority of New Zealanders favour reducing the limit, but there remains a diminishing minority who oppose the reduction. It's time to weigh their arguments against the evidence. (Every 15 Minutes Program News & Media)

280-mile cycle ride was such a Graceful act Mar 29, 2010

“WHEN times got hard, all I could think of was Grace.” Car crash survivor Joe Robinson was yesterday gven a rousing reception by friends and family as he finished an emotional cycle ride from Paris to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital as a tribute to his friend Grace Hadman. Driver Gabriella Edmondson was jailed for two years and three months in October after admitting causing death by careless driving while drunk. (Every 15 Minutes Program News & Media)

DUI charges in teen cyclist’s death Mar 29, 2010

Impaired driving charges have been laid against a 33-year-old man, who has at least one previous drunk driving conviction, in the death of a 17-year-old girl in Long Plain First Nation. Skylar Meeches was riding a bicycle on the southern Manitoba reserve’s main road when she was killed by an alleged drunk driver Tuesday night. The suspect has a court order barring him from consuming alcohol, according to court records. Meeches was 10 days shy of her 18th birthday. Long Plain Chief David Meeches said he fact she died tragically at such a young age is difficult to accept. Portage la Prairie RCMP have charged the alleged driver, Derrick Lee Myran, 33, of Long Plain, with impaired driving causing death, driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08 causing death, breach of probation (failing to abstain from alcohol), and five Highway Traffic Act offences. (Every 15 Minutes Program News & Media)

Baum sentenced to 40 years as driver in double fatalities Mar 29, 2010

KINNELON – Eugene Baum was sentenced to 40 years in state prison on Friday, March 26 for killing two girls in Kinnelon while driving drunk. Baum, 48, will be 80 years old before he will be eligible for parole under Judge Salem Vincent Ahto's sentence, of which Baum must serve 85 percent. His driver's license was also permanently revoked. Baum, of Dover, was driving drunk at 8:06 p.m. on April 20, 2006 to his mother's house in Kinnelon when he struck and killed cousins Mayada Jafar, 15, of Kinnelon, and Athear Jafar, 16, of Jefferson as they walked on the shoulder of Kinnelon Road to the movie theater in the Kinnelon Mall. (Every 15 Minutes Program News & Media) North Jersey

Anita Mann Pleads Not Guilty in DUI Accident Mar 29, 2010

LAS VEGAS -- A Henderson teen pled not guilty in a drunk driving case that killed two people. Nineteen-year-old Anita Mann entered her plea in court on Tuesday. Police say her blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit just before noon on February 16th when she crashed into the couple's car on Horizon Ridge near Stephanie. Her bail was set at $225,000 and her preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 11th. When asked if she understood the charges against her, Mann said she did. She is facing two counts of felony DUI for the deaths of 66-year-old Louis Madden and 65-year-old Karen Hicks who were killed on February 16th. The couple was headed home from lunch when Mann's car rear-ended their car. Police say Mann's blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit. Steve Wolfson, who represents Anita Mann, said Tuesday that his client was "in full acceptance of her responsibility" and knows she will suffer consequences." (Every 15 Minutes Program News & Media)

Drunken driver who killed Highland teen gets 14 years Mar 29, 2010

The driver accused of killing a Highland High School girl in a 2008 collision has been sentenced to 14 years - the maximum sentence allowed under terms of his plea agreement. Manuel Contreras-Galdean, 33, signed an agreement last year in which he pleaded guilty to one count each of manslaughter and aggravated assault for the Nov. 15, 2008, collision that led to the death of Kelly Tracy, 16, of Mesa, and injured her brother, Matthew Tracy, then 17, as he was driving them to Highland High, Maricopa County Superior Court records show. Mesa police said Contreras-Galdean was driving with a blood-alcohol content above 0.19 percent - two-and-a-half times the legal limit - and had been on cocaine. Judge Richard Trujillo listened quietly Friday, as the Tracy family and their friends remembered Kelly as a spiritual, loving girl who dreamed of helping other people understand their faith through music, prayer and scripture. (Every 15 Minutes Program News and Media)