Following the death of a male motorist on Aug. 16, troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol took a Navarre man into custody on Oct. 21 for allegedly driving drunk and causing the crash. The victim, a 60-year-old man, succumbed to his injuries he suffered in the two-vehicle crash, which occurred in July.
According to reports, the collision happened shortly before 5:30 p.m. A 19-year-old man was operating a 2002 Chevy truck on U.S. Highway 98 when he suddenly swerved over the roadway barrier into the opposite lane, striking the side of an approaching 2002 Jeep Liberty and injuring its male driver. The truck driver and an 18-year-old male passenger were also injured.
Ambulance personnel transported all three injured victims to Baptist Hospital for treatment. Both drivers suffered severe injuries; the passenger in the truck suffered minor injuries.
The truck driver faces charges of DUI with property damage or personal injury, DUI manslaughter, driving on the wrong side of a divided highway and no seatbelt. He was booked in the Santa Rosa County Jail without bond. It was reported that the level of the man’s blood-alcohol content at the time of the crash was .146 percent.
Following a drunk driving auto accident, those who have been seriously injured in the incident may only be focusing on recovering as quickly as possible. However, if a negligent driver caused the accident, the victim might consider pursuing compensation for his or her losses. By reviewing the police report and other official documentation regarding the wreck, an attorney might find evidence to support the plaintiff’s claim of driver negligence. The attorney may also be able to use police charges that were filed against the suspected driver following the crash as evidence.
Source: nwfdailynews.com, “Man charged in fatal drunken driving crash”, Trista Pruett, October 21, 2014
