Legal Analysis By Attorneys
Breaking Legal News
A single-vehicle suspected drunk driving crash in Maries County early Saturday morning left one passenger dead, another injured, and the driver charged with several drunk driving-related offenses.
Police have released a probable cause statement regarding the crash. According to this statement, Austin Bradley Edwards was driving a 2003 Ford Mustang northbound on Highway E at around 3:15 a.m. on Saturday when the vehicle crossed the center line and skidded south of County Road 538 before leaving the right side of the roadway. The vehicle then went airborne and crashed into multiple trees before it overturned and came to a stop upside down.
25-year-old passenger Brennan K. Kristek of Waynesville was pronounced dead at the scene. A 22-year-old female passenger, whose name has not been released, suffered a serious leg injury and was transported to the University of Columbia Hospital via air ambulance.
Police found Edwards sitting on the porch of a residence near the scene of the crash. He was given a breathalyzer which showed a blood-alcohol content reading of .100%. Edwards has been charged with felony driving while intoxicated (resulting in the death of another), felony driving while intoxicated (resulting in a serious physical injury), and operating a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner resulting in a crash.
Attorney contributor Reed Martens represents drunk driving crash victims and their families, helping them fight for the financial compensation they deserve. Here are a few thoughts from Reed on the types of lawsuits these victims and families can file for drunk driving injuries and deaths in Missouri:
When a drunk driver causes a crash and other people are injured or killed, those injured and the families of those killed in the crash may have grounds for one or more types of lawsuits. Personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits can be filed directly against the drunk driver. Additionally, Missouri and many other states have dram shop laws, which allow victims and their families to file lawsuits against alcohol vendors in certain situations.
According to Missouri's dram shop law, alcohol vendors can be sued for injuries or deaths caused by drunk drivers if the vendor served alcohol to someone who was "visibly intoxicated" at the time, and that customer then went on to cause a drunk driving crash with injuries or deaths.
To be more specific, the law states that a "visibly intoxicated" person is defined as someone who exhibits "significantly uncoordinated physical action or significant physical dysfunction."
Additionally, in Missouri, only alcohol vendors who are "licensed to sell intoxicating liquor by drink for consumption on the premises" can be sued in dram shop lawsuits. This means that only bars, taverns, and restaurants can be sued - not stores or shops that sell packaged alcohol.
If your family has recently been affected by a drunk driving crash, you can learn more about your legal rights by speaking with an experienced drunk driving victims lawyer.
https://krcgtv.com/news/local/one-dead-another-seriously-injured-after-crash-drink-driver-arrested
info@legalherald.com