It’s not always clear what an individual is thinking when they drink and decide to get behind the wheel, but one would hope someone was there to stop them. A New Jersey man who admitted to drinking 9 beers nevertheless drove his vehicle while intoxicated and caused a drunken driving crash that killed one man and seriously injured two others. The driver is now expected to serve 10-years in prison.

The individual killed in the above accident was also the father of one of the individuals injured. The deceased was standing in front of his broken down vehicle on the shoulder of I-295 when his vehicle was crashed into by the driver that police described as being intoxicated.

The deceased’s daughter was standing next to her father when the crash occurred and suffered a wrist injury and facial lacerations. The daughter’s boyfriend was also injured in the crash.

The deceased’s wife was also present to view the accident. The last time she saw him alive, she saw her husband thrown as a result of the impact over a guardrail and down an embankment.

No matter how harsh the penalties, drivers continue to drink and drive. That such drivers will serve time in prison will at least keep such individuals off the road for some time, but it does little to help victims of the crash that are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. It’s difficult to imagine how the wife or daughter of the deceased man felt at the time the accident occurred.

Although the driver that caused the crash was not seriously hurt, his blood alcohol level was shown to be .143. The blood tests also revealed traces of cocaine in his system, and he subsequently failed a field sobriety test that was administered.

Source: PhillyBurbs.com, “Willingboro man admits DUI in fatal crash with disabled SUV,” by Danielle Camilli, Jan. 18, 2012