Alleged drunk driver kills National Guard member

Whenever someone dies in a car accident, it is a tragic loss for the surviving family members. That tragedy can be compounded however by the circumstances of the victim’s life. When someone is a member of the armed services, it does not seem just. If the victim has a young child, the tragedy gains extra poignancy.

Recently a young National Guard member was killed in a senseless car accident, leaving behind a 3-year-old son. The 24-year-old woman was killed in a traffic accident, allegedly a victim of a drunk driver.

The accident occurred on North Main Street (Route 152) in Attleboro and was apparently a head-on collision. Both the 24-year-old National Guard member and the 34-year-old man from Pawtucket had to be cut from their collapsed vehicles. The 24-year-old mother died at the scene of the accident. The 34-year-old man survived the accident and was charged with vehicular homicide, drunk driving, driving to endanger and speeding.

The 34-year-old is also suspected of being involved in a hit-and-run accident in Plainville shortly prior to the accident in Attleboro. Nobody was injured in that accident.

The 34-year-old was injured in the head-on collision, and was being treated at Rhode Island Hospital. After he has recuperated sufficiently, he will be arraigned in Rhode Island on charges of being a fugitive from justice.

In this particular case, if drunk driving is proven, the 34-year-old man could be facing not only jail time, but could be held liable in civil court for the wrongful death of the 24-year-old woman. The compensation may help the woman’s 3-year-old son, although it certainly won’t replace his loss.

Source: Boston Herald, “Fatal crash stuns family,” John Zaremba, Sept. 22, 2012