Passenger Critically Injured in DWI Accident on Long Island

A drunk driving accident in Centereach, Long Island, reportedly caused serious injuries to a man, leaving him in critical condition at a local hospital.

According to police reports, the allegedly intoxicated driver was a 21-year-old woman who ran her Prius into a tree in the early morning hours of December 18. She also suffered injuries in the crash, although they were not life-threatening. The injured man was her passenger at time.

The dangers of drunk driving

When people decide to operate a vehicle after having too much to drink, they endanger the safety of everyone with whom they share our roads and highways. This is why drunk driving comes with such strict criminal penalties, including incarceration, large fines and suspended driving privileges.

According to advocacy organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), someone is injured in an alcohol-related car accident every two minutes in the United States. Individuals between the ages of 26 and 29 are the most likely to engage in this dangerous activity, and nearly 30 million people admitted to drinking and driving at some point in the previous year in a 2013 study. More than 10,200 people died in alcohol-related crashes nationwide in 2015 alone.

If you are involved in a drunk driving accident, whether the at-fault driver has been charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving under the influence (DUI) may help in your efforts to seek compensation for medical bills, lost wages and other damages. To learn more about how you should move forward, speak with a knowledgeable car accident attorney at Jakubowski, Robertson, Maffei, Goldsmith & Tartaglia, LLP.