Grandmother Tragically Dies, Three Teens Injured in an Accident in Johnston County, North Carolina

SMITHFIELD, NC – According to an online news report at abc11.com, an intoxicated driver is being held responsible for causing an accident in Johnston County over this past weekend that resulted in the death of a grandmother. Three teenagers were injured in the crash.*

A female teenager and her 14-year-old brother were those that sustained injuries in the crash.  Another 15-year-old suffered a brain injury in the crash. The boy and girl sustained serious neck and spinal injuries.  The two siblings  have not been identified in the report.  

A preliminary investigation of the accident, the details of which have not been released, reveals that speed and alcohol caused the impaired driver, a man, aged 34, to crash his vehicle at the intersection of Wilsons Mills Road and the Durwood Stephenson Highway.  This crash occurred over this past weekend. The driver of the vehicle that was transporting the teens, died in the crash. She was the grandmother of the female passenger.  

In North Carolina, those who drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs are punished severely.  Driving while impaired can be proven in one of two ways:  by establishing that the driver’s mental or physical fitness was impaired by drugs and/or alcohol, or by proving that the offender’s blood alcohol concentration, or BAC, was 0.08% or greater.

If someone is convicted of driving while impaired (DWI) in North Carolina, the BAC level is lowered to 0.04% if they receive another DWI. This means that anyone who is convicted of a DWI cannot operate a vehicle with a BAC of 0.04% percent or more.

North Carolina assesses fines, education requirements, penalties, and prison time based upon the level of the DWI offense. Levels range from Level 5, which is the least severe, to Level 1, which is the most severe. In addition to these levels, there are even more severe levels called Aggravated Level 1, the charge of which depends upon the facts and circumstances of an accused’s case.

A person who is convicted of a DWI in North Carolina will lose his or her driver’s license for one year.  If a person is convicted of another DWI with three years of their first DWI offense, his or her license can be revoked for up to four years.

North Carolina law prohibits drivers from having an open container of alcohol in a personal vehicle while driving.

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Source:https://abc11.com/grandmother-killed-3-teens-seriously-injured-in-smithfield-crash/5689797/