Driver charged with DUI manslaughter for crash that killed 2
June 02, 2015On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Wrongful Death on Monday, June 11, 2012.
Driving while impaired is dangerous for a lot of reasons. It can slow a driver’s reaction time, increasing the likelihood of getting into a serious crash.
A 23-year-old Youngstown man was arrested on DUI manslaughter charges after a car accident in Panama City Beach over the weekend left two elderly women dead.
The crash happened on U.S. 98 near State 79. Two women, ages 75 and 78, respectively, were riding in a 2003 Acura. They were waiting in the left turn lane of U.S. 98 to turn onto State 79. That’s when their vehicle was struck from behind by a 1999 Chevrolet Blazer driven by the young man, who had been headed east on U.S. 98, also known as Back Beach Road.
The women’s Acura was apparently struck with such force that it was pushed through the intersection. The women were taken to a local hospital, and both of them were pronounced dead. One report says that both women died on the way to the hospital.
The driver of the Blazer, meanwhile, was apparently combative with police at the scene, so much so that he was charged with resisting an officer without violence, in addition to two counts of DUI manslaughter. He was booked at the Bay County Jail.
The driver also sustained minor injuries. Police say that it appears that he was going about 70 mph at the time of the crash and made no attempt to stop. If he had, the outcome may have been different.
Source: Panama City News Herald, “Update: 2 killed in crash; 1 person arrested,” Zack McDonald, June 9, 2012
