Possible increase in drunk driving wrecks during holiday season

On Behalf of | Dec 30, 2015 | Drunk Driving Accidents

Most people wait for the end of the year holiday season all year long. For some it means religious celebrations, for others it means a few days off work and the ability to be together with family. For almost everyone, though, it means getting on the road to travel for one reason or another. The last thing family members are prepared for is the news that their loved ones will not be able to make it to visit them during the holidays due to a drunk driving accident.

Unfortunately, at least 24 families received this tragic news last year. Between last year’s Christmas Eve and New Years Day, 24 people died in 23 crashes in Ohio. Of those accidents, nine wrecks involved alcohol, killing 10 people. In addition to this, 628 people were arrested during the same period for drunk driving-related charges. That probably means a number of accidents were averted.

Already this year, more than 1,000 people have died on the roads in Ohio, a nine percent increase from last year, and there are still a few more days to go before the end of the year. Amongst those deaths was one who died in a recent fatal accident. There, a 63-year-old man swerved into oncoming traffic and hit another vehicle, killing himself and his passenger and severely injuring the driver of the oncoming car. While traffic was being diverted from this scene, another accident took place, in which a 21-year-old man struck two other vehicles and continued over the median before coming to a rest. Around the area that this accident took place, family members have laid out flowers for others who have died there in fatal accidents.

Losing someone in an unexpected accident causes unimaginable pain, and during the holiday season it may be even harder to come to terms with one’s loss. This is especially true if the accident could have been avoided had the negligent driver not gotten behind the wheel intoxicated. Though it is not possible to quantify the loss Ohio residents suffer when they lose a loved one, a civil suit may be one way to receive compensation for dealing with the financial burden that comes from the death of a family member.

Source: Chronicle Online, ” Two Norfolk residents killed in crash,” Melissa Linebrink, Dec. 22, 2015

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