California Injury Blog
Deisi Alaez, 67, was killed in a Los Angeles car accident, which police say, was caused by an underage drunk driver. According to The Whittier Daily News, the fatal car accident occurred the night of January 10, 2011 at the intersection of Lambert Road and Gunn Avenue in Whittier. Alaez was killed and the other driver, Brandon Dominguez, 20, was seriously injured in the car accident. Police have arrested Dominguez on suspicion of felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter.
My deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Deisi Alaez. My thoughts and prayers are with them following this tragic Los Angeles DUI accident.
DUI Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol’s 2008 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 42 people were injured in DUI collisions in Whittier. During that same year, there were 258 fatalities and 4,832 injuries reported involving alcohol-related car accidents in Los Angeles County.
Drunk Driving Laws
Police report the 20-year-old driver was under the influence of alcohol. It is illegal for any person under the age of 21 to consume alcohol and drive under California Vehicle Code Section 23136. A driver whose act of driving under the influence results in the death of another will likely face vehicular manslaughter charges, as Dominguez does in this case.
California Penal Code Section 191.5 (a) states: “Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated is the unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought, in the driving of a vehicle, where the driving was in violation of Section 23140, 23152, or 23153 of the Vehicle Code, and the killing was either the proximate result of the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to a felony, and with gross negligence, or the proximate result of the commission of a lawful act that might produce death, in an unlawful manner, and with gross negligence.”
Liability Issues
A drunk driver may not only face criminal charges, but can also be held civilly liable for the victim’s wrongful death. In such cases, the victim’s family would be well-advised to seek the counsel of an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, who has a successful track record of holding drunk drivers financially responsible. For more information about the dangers of drunk driving, please visit the Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) web site at www.madd.org.
Lost a family member in a Los Angeles County car accident? Want to know your rights? Want to know what your case is worth? Want compensation? Want justice? Want to ensure the same thing doesn’t happen to another family?
Call your best friends in the legal industry after a fatal Whittier car accident. Call 800-259-6373. The call is free. The advice may be priceless.
Call a Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys Los Angeles wrongful death lawyer for a free professional evaluation of your rights by attorneys who have been representing families of deceased accident victims since 1978. You will experience award winning representation and outstanding personal service by a compassionate and understanding law firm in a comfortable environment.