St. Louis: Drunk driving still a problem
It was good news in Missouri when traffic fatalities dropped in 2017. KMIZ-TV reported they were down 6% compared to 2016. But buried in the report was an important fact: Alcohol was involved in 133 of the fatal crashes in Missouri in 2016 that killed 149 people, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch reported in December fatal crashes were up in 2016 among drivers in “nearly all age ranges.” A Missouri highway patrol captain told the paper even if cell phones were eliminated, “there would still be huge numbers of traffic deaths each year caused by drivers who speed, drink and drive and are otherwise distracted.”
In 2018, a St. Louis newborn paid the price. A drunk driver killed her when he rear-ended her father’s car at 70 miles an hour. The St. Louis Post Dispatch reported Scarlett Rose Jones, a two-month-old baby and her father were stopped at a traffic light at Vandeventer and McRee when they were hit. The 30-year old driver had a blood alcohol level that “was 50% over the legal limit several hours after the accident.” He was charged with “two counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of armed criminal action.” He was sentenced to three years in prison and five years’ probation. The driver, and the bar that kept serving him when he was “visibly intoxicated,” settled with the victims’ family for $2.2 million.
The St. Louis medical community is alarmed by drunk driving
Dr. Rick Grucza, an associate professor of psychiatry at the St. Louis Washington University School of Medicine analyzed “five government surveys” in 2018 and concluded that over the last decade one type of risky drinking – binge drinking – has increased for all age groups, according to WebMD Health News.
Drunk driving is increasing nationwide
The director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism told WebMD that “binge drinking” is reaching extreme levels in people 20 to 30 years old. A scientist at the Institute told the health news website people are showing up in ERs “about ten times a minute in the U.S. for a reason related to their drinking.” The causes range from overdoses to accidents.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released figures in late 2017 from all 50 states and The District of Columbia showing a 5.6% jump in traffic deaths from 2015 to 2016. NHTSA reported drunk driving deaths nationwide in 2016 were up 1.7 percent.
Wayne Wright knows the tragic history of drunk driving
Wayne Wright knows drunk driving was almost a joke in the 1970s. Then, thanks in part to MAAD, DWI laws got tough. But drunk driving is still a common problem. Wayne Wright has successfully represented its victims for over 40 years. He is one of America’s top trial lawyers. His national legal awards show he wins top dollar cases for clients. Calls and evaluations are free. Fees are only due when a case has been successfully resolved on the client’s behalf.