Texting, drunk driving alleged in North Carolina accident
Two men were injured in a recent alleged drunk driving incident in Wake County. The men, both 26, were among four people standing near a landscaping truck that had pulled to the side of a road with a flat tire on a trailer it was hauling. A Nissan pickup truck operated by a 47-year-old man hit the rear of the trailer before striking the men, who were reportedly standing in the road.
According to officers from the North Carolina Highway Patrol, the driver of the pickup truck was impaired and texting at the time of the accident. The driver was charged with DUI, failing to wear a seatbelt, texting while driving, no inspection and having an expired tag. The injured pedestrians were transported to a local medical center for treatment of their injuries.
A first DUI offense is usually punishable by a fine, jail or community service and loss of a person’s driving privileges in North Carolina for one year. DUI penalties can increase in cases involving a motor vehicle accident where a person other than the suspect is seriously injured. The law also gives judges the discretion of imposing more severe penalties on a person convicted of drunk driving where there was an accident caused by the negligent driving of the suspect. The additional penalties might include mandatory installation of an ignition interlock system at the convicted driver’s expense, higher fines and a longer period of license revocation.
The DUI penalties a judge might impose depend upon the facts of each individual case. The texting charge, if proven, might be an aggravating factor that a judge could use to justify imposing more severe penalties on the driver of the pickup truck. Discussing the facts of a pending DUI charge with an attorney might help people to understand the potential penalties and consequences they are facing in court.