Much of the focus of advocacy groups and law enforcement agencies is on preventing people from driving while under the influence of alcohol. However, taking drugs and then getting behind the wheel of a car can be just as dangerous. Drivers high on drugs cause numerous head-on collisions each year in Missouri.
Recently, a 44-year-old woman pleaded guilty to killing two people in a crash in Missouri. The accident occurred in April 2013. According to statements made by the woman to police during the investigation, she had driven to St. Louis to obtain heroin. After successfully purchasing capsules of heroin, the woman proceeded to get high as she drove.
At some point, she says she lost consciousness. Her vehicle veered into oncoming traffic and slammed into a vehicle occupied by an elderly couple. The 90-year-old man and 91-year-old woman died as a result of the injuries they suffered in the collision.
Undoubtedly, this woman’s actions led to the deaths of these two people that day. The woman’s next court date is currently scheduled for April 19. At that time, she will be sentenced on one count of involuntary manslaughter for each victim, use of drug paraphernalia and possession.
Regardless of age, losing a family member without warning, such as in head-on collisions, can be devastating. In cases like this one, victims’ families might achieve their own sense of justice for their losses through the filing of wrongful death claims in Missouri’s courts. A conviction in a related criminal case could help them establish negligence, which is required in any successful claim that results in an award of damages.
Source: fox2now.com, “Woman pleads guilty in eastern Missouri crash that killed 2“, Feb. 20, 2015
