A woman faces felony drunk driving charges in connection with an accident in St. Louis County on Oct. 14 that claimed the life of a 48-year-old man. The 27-year-old Bridgetown resident was taken into custody at the scene and has been charged with causing an accident that resulted in death while under the influence of alcohol.
Car swerved and stopped on highway
According to a Missouri Highway Patrol report, the events took place on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near Ferguson at approximately 12:50 a.m. Troopers arriving at the scene concluded that a Buick sedan driven by the woman struck the rear of Buick sedan that had stopped on the highway near the Interstate 170 exit. Initial media reports suggest that the Buick swerved across several lanes of traffic before coming to a stop.
Victim was not wearing seat belt
The force of the collision caused the Toyota to flip over. Its driver was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt. A 28-year-old passenger in the Buick who was properly retrained escaped the accident with minor injuries. The woman was taken into custody after a breath test conducted at the scene allegedly revealed her blood alcohol concentration to be 0.159. This is almost twice the legal driving limit in Missouri.
Mitigating circumstances
Cases involving driving while intoxicated might be resolved during plea negotiations and not in court. Prosecutors may be willing to consider more lenient penalties in certain circumstances. Mitigating factors that experienced criminal defense attorneys might cite during plea discussions include negligence on the part of the other party or parties involved and evidence suggesting that an accident was unavoidable.
