Drunk driving has become a “normal” occurrence in Riverside’s everyday life. And why wouldn’t it? An estimated 300,000 DUI incidents take place across our country every single day.
While some lead to an arrest, in other incidents intoxicated drivers flee the scene of the car accident. In some alcohol-impaired traffic collisions, people sustain minor or severe injuries, while others lead to fatalities.
Fact: more than 10,000 people die in DUI car accidents in the U.S. every year, while 1.1 million drivers get arrested for DUI.
Not to mention that we are about to enter the most dangerous time of the year – between the middle of December and early January. During the holiday season, DUI accidents skyrocket across our nation.
Hit-and-run accident involving a pole
But Christmas came early for a 47-year-old Riverside woman who got drunk and crashed into a street light in her Jeep Patriot.
The crash resulted in exposed live wires that were sparkling. The woman, Christine Tully, got out of her Jeep – leaving her vehicle on the sidewalk – and attempted to run away on foot while highly intoxicated.
The hit-a-pole-and-run attempt didn’t end well for Tully, who was caught by police officers within minutes after crashing into the street light in west suburban Riverside.
The incident took place at around 10:20 pm. Tully may have been injured in the DUI crash and was treated by medical professionals who arrived at the scene. Then the woman was turned over to the police.
At the police station in Riverside, Tully was still highly intoxicated and reportedly reeked of alcohol, was swaying side to side and slurring her speech. Despite the slurring, the woman reportedly admitted to the police that she had been drinking at a bar and admitted that she had been drunk driving.
Tully failed a series of field sobriety tests and refused to take the breathalyzer test. The woman was taken into custody and charged with DUI, driving on a sidewalk, hit-and-run, and failure to reduce speed, in addition to several traffic violations.
What consequences can you face for something like this
But what consequences could Tully face? We spoke to our experienced car accident attorneys at JML Law to find out.
Based on her charges and traffic violations, our car accident attorney in Riverside estimates that the woman could face the following consequences:
- jail time
- legal, financial, and personal consequences
- pay for property damage
- loss of job
- revocation of the driver’s license
- large monetary fines for driving on the sidewalk
- denial in payment for injury treatment
- higher insurance rates
- the requirement to install an ignition interlock device, which can detect alcohol and prevent drunk driving.
If you or any of your loved ones have been involved in a DUI accident, or you hit a street light and fled the scene, don’t hesitate to consult our car accident attorney at JML Law to find out your best legal options to minimize penalties for driving drunk.
Call our Riverside offices at 818-610-8800 to launch an investigation into your case today.
