Sparks fly as intoxicated driver pulls motorcycle for 2 miles

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We talk about the dangers of drunk driving a lot in our New Jersey Personal Injury blog. We talk about how alcohol can alter an individual's ability to drive through lowered response time to conditions outside of the car. But how much can alcohol really affect a person's decision-making ability? For one East Brunswick driver, the effects of alcohol caused him to drag a motorcycle for approximately two miles after he struck the small vehicle. It doesn't matter whether this man's intoxication made fleeing the scene of an accident resulting in injury seem like a good idea, his actions crossed the bounds of normal behavior. The accident occurred on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. Police reported that the 47-year-old man driving the car struck the motorcycle while it had been stopped, waiting for a traffic light to change. The collision sent the 39-year-old cyclist flying into the intersection and slamming onto the hard surface. When emergency personnel arrived, he was drifting in and out of consciousness. Instead of stopping to take responsibility for the accident and render aid to the individual he hurt, the driver attempted to pull the motorcycle off of his vehicle. When he was unable to do so, he drove for another two miles with the vehicle in tow, sending sparks flying across the street. Any of our readers may be wondering why someone would ever think any of those actions would be considered a "good decision." The truth is that they aren't; alcohol can make these extreme actions seem appropriate at the time. However, it is important to remember that the driver made the sober decision to start drinking and then later voluntarily got behind the wheel. Regardless of how "reasonable" the actions seemed under the influence of alcohol, behavior deemed negligent or reckless under the law makes the driver liable for any damage caused to person or property. Source: nj.com, "Police: East Brunswick driver flees crash, drags motorcycle for 2 miles," Tom Haydon, Dec. 21, 2012 Preventable injuries such as ones caused during a drunk driving accident are often very difficult for victims to deal with after-the-fact. Our law firm tailors our legal strategy to fit each individual case so that victims can maximize the compensation that they may be eligible for.