Be careful driving this weekend. The roads will be wet. Pay special attention when you are driving on the Golden Gate Bridge, as accidents there can cause a car to move accross into traffic traveling in the opposite direction. Last month, a man from Colma was placed under arrest for allegedly causing a drunken driving crash on the Golden Gate Bridge that injured several people and briefly shut down the bridge, according to today’s news. The man–37 year-old Syed Ali– was speeding in his 2007 Mercedes roadster and rear-ended a vehicle driven by Mara Lefkowitz in the southbound lane. The impact forced Lefkowitz to spin out of control and hit the west curb of the bridge, at which point she moved back across southbound lanes into the northbound lanes and hit the east curb of the bridge. At that moment, another vehicle driving in a northbound lane crashed into Lefkowitz’s car. Ali’s vehicle also crossed into a northbound lane and sideswiped a van, causing the driver of the van to lose control and overturn. The driver of the van and Lefkowitz were taken to the hospital with moderate injuries.
According to the CDC, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among those ages 5-34 in the U. S. More than 2.3 million adult drivers and passengers were treated in emergency departments as the result of being injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. The economic impact is also notable: the lifetime costs of crash related deaths and injuries among drivers and passengers were $70 billion in 2005. In addition to that, alcohol-impaired driving kills about 11,000 people and costs nearly $110 billion a year. Every day, 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This amounts to one death every 48 minutes, and one in 3 motor-vehicle crashes involve an alcohol-impaired driver. The following are ways all of us can prevent alcohol-impaired driving and its consequences:
• Designate a non-drinking driver in your before you go out drinking.
• Don’t let your friends driver impaired-take their keys away if they don’t listen.
• If you have been drinking and don’t have a ride, call a taxi.
• If you’re hosting a party where alcohol will be served, make sure all guests leave with a sober driver.
Alcohol impaired driving is a serious public health issue and hope that no is injured by a drunk driver. However, if you or loved suffered an injury from an accident in which impaired driving was involved, please contact our firm. We have over ten years experience helping car accident victims receive the compensation they deserve. Our firm accepts cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning we do not charge clients any fees until we recover financial compensation.