Deadly Drunk Driving Crash Leads To Criminal Charges

Jan 30, 2014

A deadly accident that happened late last month has resulted in serious criminal charges for the responsible driver. In an unusual turn, the driver, Chris Turner, is now trying to blame the driver of the other vehicle for the fatal accident, something law enforcement officers don’t appear to believe. We often see this when defense lawyers hired by insurers get involved, but it’s not quite as common for drivers who cause wrecks to point the finger of responsibility at the people they hurt.

The accident in question took place on the morning of December 28, 2013, when Turner admits he consumed a large amount of brandy before heading out to a Burger King in Columbus, Georgia. As Turner was approaching the fast food restaurants on Buena Vista Road, he crashed into the back passenger side of a Kia Optima. There were three passengers inside the Kia, one of whom, Shavonna Johnson, was thrown from the vehicle and later pronounced dead from her injuries. Doctors say that the cause of her death was bunt force trauma.

When police arrived at the accident scene, Turner not only appeared impaired, but he also gave a false name to the officers, claiming that he was named Trey. Police say that they then performed a Breathalyzer test on Turner and discovered that he had a BAC of 0.105 percent. Turner was arrested and later charged with homicide by vehicle as well as driving under the influence, disorderly conduct, driving with a suspended license, providing false information to an officer, reckless driving and driving without a seat belt.

Turner recently appeared in court to answer his charges and chose to plead not guilty on all counts. Turner claimed that the accident was the other driver’s fault, despite his obvious impairment. Turner also claimed that he was driving at a reasonable 60 miles per hour at the time of the crash, something police sources dispute. According to law enforcement officials, investigators have estimated that Turner was traveling at nearly 100 miles per hour when the deadly wreck occurred. Our firm regularly employs accident reconstruction experts to use sophisticated software and analysis to determine vehicle speed.

While everyone knows that driving drunk is a bad idea, few people understand just how dangerous a decision it can be. According to data collected by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, driving drunk exponentially increases your risk of being involved in an accident. The risk of death for drivers with a high BAC is 385 times greater than a driver with a BAC of zero, an alarming statistic that should cause drivers to exercise caution before hopping behind the wheel after having a few too many to drink.

Countless Georgians will attend Super Bowl gamewatching parties this weekend, and the Warshauer Woodward Atkins wants to make sure everyone stays safe. We recommend going online to find the phone number of a local taxi service, then taking that number with you so you can get home safely if you are overserved.

If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a Georgia car, truck or motorcycle accident and you would like to discuss your case with an attorney, please contact the Georgia car accident lawyers at the Warshauer Woodward Atkins today to schedule a free consultation.

Source: After deadly car accident, drunk driver blames other vehicle, by Samantha Perpignand, published atWTVM.com.

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