Fatal DUI Accident Reveals the Unpredictable Reach of Drunken Driving Tragedies
The devastating toll of drunken driving can take on permutations that impact families in ways that are hardly imaginable. A recent fatal drunken driving accident in Texas provides a tragic case in point.
David Barajas and his twelve-year-old son, David Jr., and eleven-year-old son, Caleb, were a mere fifty yards from their Houston area home as they pushed their broken down vehicle. Though they were so close to the safety of home, a drunken driver plowed into the two boys killing David Jr. instantly and causing fatal injuries to which Caleb would succumb at the hospital. This tragic story becomes even more heartbreaking because the father of the boys allegedly shot and killed the drunken driver at the scene. The father now faces homicide charges and a potentially lengthy term in prison.
Although this blog article does not seek to justify the shooting of another human being despite the provocation, this incident demonstrates the profound pain and unpredictable scope of victims that may be affected by a DUI accident. The young boys who died because the driver of the other vehicle elected to take the risk of driving under the influence of alcohol constitute the most obvious victims, but there are many others. The boys’ father who was presumably overcome with grief and rage now faces a potential term of incarceration. The mother of the boys has lost her sons and perhaps her husband for a prolonged period. The boys’ mother may need to cope with a loss of household income if the father was the primary breadwinner. She also faces the enormous cost of funding a homicide defense in a criminal trial. While it is unclear how the DUI criminal investigation will proceed, this wife and mother’s life has been forever impacted.
In the midst of grieving for the family of the young boys, it is easy to forget the impact on the family of the drunken driver. If he had a wife and children, their lives also will be changed in profound ways, including the loss of parental and spousal support both emotional and financial. The estate they might need to compensate for the loss of a family breadwinner may be depleted by wrongful death damages arising out of the DUI personal injury litigation.
The key point we wish to communicate is that a single drunken driving accident may have many innocent victims. While the life of a serious injury or wrongful death victim in an alcohol-related collision is obviously affected, family members, friends and others may also have their lives radically changed when drivers choose to drink and drive. At Montlick and Associates, our experienced Atlanta accident attorneys see these tragic consequences on a daily basis, which is why we have been promoting the Don’t Drink and Drive public awareness message for almost thirty years.
Montlick and Associates is available to provide effective legal representation to clients throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you.
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