A man was arrested and brought up on a felony DUI charge following an accident in Oklahoma City that left another man dead on Dec. 9. The accident resulting in a fatality occurred in northwest Oklahoma City.
The accident occurred near Standish Avenue on NE 10 around 11:30 a.m. A 27-year-old man driving east approached an intersection and stopped his vehicle to turn left. According to a police officer, a second driver collided with the car from the rear. The police say that the man told them that he had looked down at his phone just before the collision. The 27-year-old man suffered injuries and was transported to the hospital, where he died. A minor child was in the car with him, but he was unharmed in the accident.
The driver who rear-ended the car was taken to St. Anthony Hospital for treatment. Police say that they believe that he was driving under the influence of drugs. In addition to the DUI, police have charged the man with causing a fatality accident and driving without a state driver's license. The man is currently being held in the Oklahoma County jail.
While it's unknown what evidence the police have that the man was under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident, it's highly likely that his blood was tested at the hospital when he was treated. A criminal defense lawyer could try to prevent the blood test results from being revealed during the trial. Without evidence that the man was intoxicated, the prosecution would have to lower the charges to distracted driving or some other traffic violation.
Source: OKC Fox, "Police: man killed when rear-ended by distracted and high driver," Jay Dillon, Dec. 10, 2013
Source: NewsOK, "Man arrested after Oklahoma City fatality accident", December 10, 2013
