A Sparta man has pleaded guilty to charges of assault and manslaughter in the November 2012 death of his son 3-year-old son.
The 34-year-old father pleaded guilty to one charge of involuntary manslaughter, and four charges of second degree felony assault. The car accident had occurred on Nov 13, 2012 on Missouri 14, between Nixa and Ozark on Cheyenne road. The man’s son died at the scene of the 3 vehicle crash. Four others were injured.
At the time of the accident, the father was behind the wheel, the child was riding in the backseat, and his mother was riding in the front seat of the Toyota. Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report reveals that the eastbound vehicle the man was driving drifted off the center line into the path of an oncoming Ford Explorer. Just as the collision occurred, the Ford Explorer was hit by a Chevrolet Impala. In the 3 vehicle collision, the 3-year-old was killed, and four others were injured.
When Highway Patrol Corp. Shane Rowe reached the car accident site just 8 minutes after the crash he observed that the father was stumbling around. He also noticed that he smelled of alcohol. He spoke slowly and his speech was garbled. On asking whether he has been drinking, he maintained that he just had 2 beers over lunch. It was not hard to figure out that he was under the influence of alcohol, but test of sobriety was essential to check his blood alcohol level. The man refused to undergo any tests at the first place.
When the samples were obtained and Missouri National highway patrol crime lab analyzed them, it was found out that his blood alcohol level was .102 percent, which was a lot more than the limit of .08 set by Missouri law. After almost a year since the accident, the man has pleaded guilty, and is now awaiting a hearing scheduled on January 3, when the sentence will be announced.
Children Killed in Drunk Driving Accidents
Missouri car accident attorneys say that this is not a lone case where a child passenger has lost life due to the driver being under the influence of alcohol. As per the data released by Center of Disease Control and Prevention in 2010, it was revealed that 10, 228 or 31 percent of all car accident related fatalities were caused by drunk driving. Of these individuals, 200 were children under the age of 14 years.
Missouri car accident lawyers also inform that as per the 2011 statistics, a total of around 200 deaths and 3,625 injuries were caused by DUI in Missouri. Missouri car accident lawyers also opine that young children are more prone to getting killed or injured in such accidents due to their greater vulnerability.
Missouri Drunk Driving Lawyers
Missouri car accident lawyers are committed to helping all individuals who have suffered at the hands of a drunk driver get their rightful claims. Contact a car accident attorney if you have been involved in such an accident.
photo credit: Lindsey Gira
