Drunk Driver Injures Charlotte Police Officer

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What can you sue for in a personal injury case?”

 

Police in Charlotte have said that a drunk driver is responsible for an accident that left a police officer injured late last week. The accident resulted in a trip to the hospital for the officer and a trip to jail for the drunk driver.

 

Officials say that early last Saturday morning, Officer Trevor Gail was responding to an incident on the 7000 block of Independence Boulevard when the accident occurred. Gail was in the area to help a tractor-trailer that had become stuck in the right lane and was blocking traffic.

 

Police say that while Gail was helping the truck driver, Christopher Parrish approached in his vehicle and hit Gail’s patrol car. Gail was inside the car at the time of the crash and suffered injuries that required a trip to the hospital. Officials say Parrish failed to notice the patrol car or its emergency lights. Parrish was also treated for minor injuries following the wreck and was later taken to jail where he was charged with felony serious injury by vehicle, DWI and failure to comply with driver’s license restrictions.

 

Though the police have not yet revealed Parrish’s blood alcohol concentration the night of the crash, studies show that even relatively minor levels of impairment can greatly increase the odds that a driver is involved in a serious accident. A driver with a BAC of 0.10 or greater (just slightly over North Carolina’s 0.08 percent limit) is seven times more likely to be involved in a fatal motor vehicle crash than is a driver who has not consumed any alcohol. Drivers with a BAC of 0.15 or greater are about 25 times more likely than sober driver to be involved in a wreck. .

Sadly, accidents like this one are far from uncommon. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, between 2001 and 2005, 36 deaths occurred each day in the U.S. as a result of crashes involving an impaired driver. At certain periods during the year these numbers are even higher. For example, during Christmas as many as 45 deaths occur every day while 54 people day every day over the New Year’s holiday weekend.

 

If you, or someone you know, have any questions regarding personal injury claims, please feel free to contact the experienced personal injury attorneys and lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina at Arnold & Smith, PLLC for a free consultation. Call at 704-370-2828.

 

About the Author:

Matthew Arnold is a Managing Member with Arnold & Smith, PLLC where he focuses his practice on Personal Injury, Family Law and Business Litigation. Mr. Arnold began his career handling insurance defense litigation for several major insurance companies. He also went on to handle business litigation cases and high value mortgage fraud cases, primarily in Superior Court.

Mr. Arnold grew up in Charlotte, graduating from Providence Senior High School and continued his education at Belmont Abbey College on a basketball scholarship. After graduating cum laude he attended law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a full academic scholarship. In his spare time, Mr. Arnold enjoys golfing and spending time on the North Carolina Coast with his wife and three young children: two daughters and one son.

 

Source:

“Police: Patrol car struck, intoxicated driver charged,” published at WBTV.com.

 

 

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