If you drive southwest of St. Louis for about two hours, you’ll arrive in Washington County. The sparsely populated area was the site of a recent fatal drunk driving crash, officials there said. According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, a man was charged with driving while intoxicated after his vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic on Highway 21.
The two vehicles hit head-on. A passenger in the vehicle driven by the DWI driver was killed.
The 51-year-old woman was a resident of Cadet, Missouri. We don’t know her relationship to the 38-year-old driver, but they share the same last name, a news article stated.
They were in a 2002 Chrysler 200 headed south on the highway when the vehicle crossed the center line and crashed into an oncoming Chrysler Sebring, a Highway Patrol spokesperson said. The apparently drunken driver sustained serious injuries in the violent collision.
The driver of the Sebring sustained injuries described as minor.
The driver of the Chrysler 200 was charged with driving while intoxicated. He was also charged with driving on a revoked license. According to the news report, he pled guilty to DWI as an aggravated offender back in 2012. He was sentenced to serve seven years in prison for the offense, but his sentence was suspended and he was placed on probation.
He has been repeatedly cited for driving without a license.
According to the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, 21 percent of all traffic fatalities in our state involve intoxicated drivers. Two years ago, more than 660 people were seriously injured in crashes that involved at least one substance-impaired motorist.
If you or a loved one has been harmed by an impaired driver, contact an attorney experienced in personal injury and wrongful death litigation.
