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Three people were seriously injured and another was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving following a crash on Route 50 near Leonards Road on June 7.
The Saratoga Springs Police Department responded to reports of a head-on collision at around 7:43 p.m. The crash involved two vehicles and three people, all of whom were injured.
Police say that 40-year-old Lucian Dublea was driving south on Route 50 in a black 2008 Honda Accord. His vehicle then drifted off the right side of the road, struck a guard rail, and then careened back into traffic. The vehicle crossed a double yellow line into the northbound side of the road, crashing head-on with a blue 2014 Chevy Cruz.
23-year-old Brittany Chase was driving the Chevy. She and her passenger, 22-year-old April Molina, were both significantly injured in the crash.
All three people involved in the crash were hospitalized at Albany Medical Center. Dublea and Chase were brought by helicopter while Molina was brought by an ambulance.
Dublea has been cited for misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and failure to keep right. He could face additional charges.
Attorney contributor Laurence Banville has experience representing people who have been injured by drunk drivers in the state of New York. Here is Laurence with some general information concerning the legal options available to these crash victims:
In New York and all other states, those who are injured by drunk drivers may have the right to file a lawsuit against that driver. New York is also one of several states which allow alcohol vendors to be held liable for injuries caused by their customers – under certain conditions. This type of liability is covered under what is known as “dram shop” laws.
According to New York’s dram shop law, alcohol vendors can be held liable if they serve alcohol to a customer who is either under 21 years of age or visibly intoxicated and that customer goes on to cause an injury to someone else due to their intoxication.
To put it simply, let’s say Bob is at a bar and has had several drinks. He is showing visible signs of intoxication, such as falling off of his bar stool and slurring his speech. If the bartender continues serving Bob and then Bob goes on to injure Aman in a drunk driving crash, Aman could have grounds for a personal injury lawsuit against Bob as well as a dram shop lawsuit against the bar.
Each drunk driving injury case is unique. In order to better understand your legal options after being hit by a drunk driver in New York, we advise discussing your case with an experienced drunk driving injury victims lawyer.
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