Norman, Oklahoma, visitors to Las Vegas may have heard about the horrific car crash last year that killed four people at a bus stop and injured eight others. The driver in the alleged drunk driving accident was sentenced on Nov. 1 to 24 to 80 years in prison on five counts of DUI causing death or substantial bodily harm. The accident also left one person paralyzed and another permanently brain-damaged.
The September 2012 crash killed a 24-year-old man, a 47-year-old man, a 49-year-old woman and a 65-year-old woman. According to police, a witness saw a 2001 Monte Carlo traveling at more than 100 mph when it hit the dip at an intersection and swerved into the crowded city bus stop. Prosecutors alleged that not only was his blood alcohol level above Nevada's legal limit, but he reportedly had marijuana in his system as well. A chief deputy district attorney said that the combination of alcohol and marijuana produces a much stronger effect than just twice that of either substance alone and leaves the driver greatly impaired.
Police said that the driver told them he remembered the vehicle bottoming out in the dip and becoming airborne but didn't have any memory of hitting the pedestrians at the bus shelter. He allegedly told police that he had imbibed just one beer at a bar and was rushing home so that his girlfriend could get to work. The car involved in the crash belonged to the man's girlfriend.
A drunk driving charge can mean decades in prison. Individuals accused of DUI or DWI may find the services of an experienced Oklahoma attorney to be valuable. A lawyer might be able to petition the court to lower a felony DWI to a misdemeanor DWI.
Source: ABC News, "24 to 80 years for driver in Vegas bus stop crash", November 01, 2013
