Drunk drivers are a hazard on the road and there is no telling when they might enter a victim’s life. Most stories involve two vehicles, but what happens when the victim is a passenger of the inebriated driver? 

New England Cable News reports on an intoxicated driver whose reckless driving led to the death of his passenger and his arrest. 

DWI and other charges

Authorities diverted traffic for four hours after responding to a crash in which a 40-year-old man drove his car into a guardrail, a rock wall and a utility pole. The man drove intoxicated without a valid license around noon before losing control. 

His passenger died of his or her injuries while emergency services took the driver to Exeter Hospital for his injuries before authorities arrested him. 

Charges against the driver include negligent homicide, aggravated DWI, falsifying physical evidence, operating a vehicle after suspension, among other allegations. 

Justice in the aftermath 

Carelessness in a wrongful death case does not require multiple vehicles nor for the victim to be a stranger to the accused. Insurance companies could potentially try to reason that a passenger entering the vehicle of an intoxicated driver does not qualify for their coverage. It serves their bottom line if they do not have to pay out what the family of the victim needs. 

If the passenger had any loved ones relying on the income they made, not only have those people lost someone due to someone’s alleged negligence and intoxication, they now have costly expenses related to the accident, including funeral and emotional. Claims over damages and compensation do not discriminate based on the unique circumstances they arise from.