In a Florida Times-Union article published online, the story of a restaurant manager who has been involved in multiple drunk driving incidents is told by both the man’s own words and the tragic details of his crimes.
The restaurant manager, previously convicted of four drunk driving offenses, was most recently involved in an accident with another man who was riding a motorcycle along Jacksonville’s Gate Parkway. The manager was charged with DUI manslaughter, as the man riding the motorcycle died approximately 11 days after the accident.
In communications with the Florida Times-Union about his most recent alleged drunk driving accident, the man has said the justice system is to blame for not giving him proper DUI treatment following previous convictions. Notably, the man has also been convicted of probation violations related to failure to finish court-ordered treatment.
In his correspondences with the newspaper, the man claimed that any treatment that he had taken part in was not effective in combating his issues with alcohol.
The man claimed that, on the night of the accident in Jacksonville, he didn’t feel too drunk to drive. However, a police-administered blood test showed his blood-alcohol level as double Florida’s legal limit around the time of the crash involving the motorcycle.
The accident occurred when the restaurant manager turned into a parking lot, failing to yield the right-of-way to the motorcycle, and it struck the front of the restaurant manager’s car. At the time of the report, the alleged drunk driver was in Duval County Jail on $675,000 bail, facing between four and 15 years in prison if convicted of DUI manslaughter.
No Matter How Accidents Play Out, Drunk Driving is Deadly
In some cases like the story of the Jacksonville restaurant manager, drivers may feel that they can still drive after having a few drinks. But, as in the accident detailed in the Florida Times-Union report, something as simple as failing to yield the right-of-way while turning can result in the serious injury or wrongful death of another. Not all drunk driving accidents are high-speed collisions, nor are they always the result of the drunk driver striking someone else with their own vehicle.
If you suspect that an auto accident you were involved in may have involved drunk driving, you should contact a drunk driving accident attorney for assistance in determining if you qualify for damages.