Impaired Driver Causes Elk Grove Crash
An impaired driver caused a major collision near Elk Grove on August 27, 2018, along Interstate 5, which killed a musician from Colorado. The accident also resulted in the hospitalization of six other passengers in the vehicle. The Sacramento County coroner identified the man who died in the collision as singer Colin Mulhern, age 30, who was a member of a popular Colorado group called If I Fail. I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Mulhern at this difficult time.
Impaired Driver Kills One and Injures Six Others
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) reports that the accident occurred when a woman from Los Banos hit the van from behind, which caused the van and trailer it was pulling to overturn. The CHP says the woman driving the vehicle that caused the accident was impaired by a controlled substance at the time. According to the report, the pop-punk musicians were heading north on I-5 near Lambert Road at about 2:30 in the morning when their van, pulling a trailer, was struck by a Ford Explorer that was driven by 27-year-old Eunique Miracle Faith Lewis. When the van overturned, it killed Mulhern and ejected two additional passengers. The van ended up in the center median on its roof. All of the six passengers who survived the accident were taken to nearby hospitals to be treated for their injuries. One of the injured was identified as drummer Patrick Carney, who suffered major injuries and is in a coma at Kaiser Permanente. A GoFundMe site had been set up to help raise money to pay Carney’s medical bills. Carney is with the band Short Fuse 59, which is based in Colorado.
Charges Against the Impaired Driver
The driver of the Explorer has been placed under arrest for drugged driving. The CHP reported that she faces charges of driving without a license, felony DUI resulting in death, vehicular manslaughter and being influenced by a controlled substance.
Watch YouTube Video: In this video, CBS Sacramento reports on the accident that killed musician, Colin Mulhern and injured six others.
Who Is a Drug-Impaired Driver?
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, a drug-impaired driver is one who gets behind the wheel of a car under the influence of illicit drugs or certain prescription or over-the-counter medications that affect that person’s ability to drive safely. At sobriety checkpoints conducted from 2013 to 2014, one out of five drivers tested were found to be under the influence of some type of drug. However, it is more difficult to test for drugs because of the large number of them and monitoring drug concentration levels is harder at this time than testing for alcohol.
Illegal Drugs Found in Impaired Driver Fatalities
The Governors Highway Safety Association reported on a study of drugged driving in 2016 that measured the amount and types of drugs found in accident fatalities. The study concluded that:
- 38 percent were found to have used marijuana.
- Opioids were found in 16 percent of those tested.
- Opioids and marijuana both were found in 4 percent.
- 49 percent of impaired drivers tested positive for both drugs and alcohol.
Elk Grove Car Accident Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, an Elk Grove car accident lawyer. If you or a loved one was injured by an impaired driver, you might be able to obtain fair compensation for your injuries. For free and friendly legal advice about your situation, you can call me at (916) 694-0002 locally or at (800) 404-5400 outside the area. I also offer a handy contact form online at AutoAccident.com, the personal injury site I founded.
I have worked as an injury lawyer for the good people of Elk Grove for more than 36 years, upholding their right to fair compensation, including in all types of car accidents and cases for wrongful death.
Million Dollar Forum is a group that I belong to as a California member. It is composed of some of the top trial lawyers around the nation who have obtained a case settlement or verdict in excess of one million dollars for a client.
It can be difficult to decide which attorney to call when seeking legal representation for your injury. Knowing more about a lawyer can be helpful. Please visit the following links to learn what some of our former clients have had to say and to see cases that we have handled:
Photo Attribution: https://www.pexels.com/photo/road-car-blurred-morning-sun-46277/
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