Drunk Driver Sentenced to 8 Years for Fiery St. Louis County Accident
Last year in October, business owner Jeanine Y. Hollman was killed in a fiery Saint Louis County drunk driving car accident. Earlier this month, the drunk driver who caused the St. Louis County DUI car accident was sentenced to eight years for vehicular homicide.
The crash occurred on October 30, 2010. An off-duty police officer noticed a car speeding near the intersection of Halls Ferry Road and Lucas and Hunt Road. The officer used radar to discover that the car was travelling at 64 mph in a 35 mph or 40 mph zone. The officer turned on his lights to pull over the car.
Dwanyne McClendon, the speeding driver, increased his speed after the police car lights activated. Meanwhile, Ms. Hollman had just turned left onto Halls Ferry Road in her car. McClendon crashed violently into Ms. Hollman’s car.
The impact caused the accident victim’s car to burst into flames. The police officer said he witnessed a “giant explosion” when the cars collided. The police officer and other witnesses attempted to pull Ms. Hollman out of the vehicle, but the fire in her car forced them back. Two women in McClendon’s vehicle also sustained injuries.
McClendon admitted to being drunk at the scene of the accident. Tests revealed that his blood-alcohol content was above the legal limit. McClendon stated he avoided stopping for the police officer because he did not want a DUI. McClendon plead guilty in July for his crime. The range of sentencing was five to fifteen years. The judge sentenced him to eight years in prison.
The number of fatal Missouri drunk driving car accidents decreased as education and law enforcement ramped up. In 1996, 481 people were killed in fatal Missouri drunk driving accidents. A decade later in 2006, that figure dropped by nearly 100 people. Nevertheless, hundreds of Missourians should not lose their lives in easily preventable accidents. When evidence of intoxication is available, prosecutors press criminal charges against drunk drivers who cause fatal car accidents.
Criminal charges against drunk drivers may help families recover compensation for the financial loss caused by a fatal Missouri DUI car accident. Insurance companies are not likely to fight liability for the accident when their client is found guilty. However, insurance companies may still attempt to limit their liability for the accident. Insurance companies may argue that the accident victim was partially at fault for the accident. Family members should not attempt to negotiate with an insurance company without skilled Missouri wrongful death attorneys fighting for them.
