Man accused of DWI and more after fatal accident near Farmville, NC
A tragic car accident was reported around 11:15 Saturday night a few miles from Farmville, North Carolina. Police say that a man in a Ford Explorer crossed the center line while traveling south on NC 121. The SUV reportedly crashed with a Ford Focus driven by a 57-year-old woman from Greenville, North Carolina.
The woman suffered fatal injuries in the tragic accident. She was pronounced dead at Vidant Medical Center. Several passengers in the SUV suffered injury. The man accused of driving the Ford Explorer is now facing charges for driving while impaired in the aftermath of the tragic accident. Police claim that the 26-year-old man was under the influence of alcohol Saturday night.
Authorities arrested the man accused of crossing the center line on several charges, including DWI, driving with a revoked license and death by motor vehicle-a felony level offense.
News reports do not indicate what led police to believe that the man was under the influence at the time of the crash. Any car accident story can pull hard on a reader’s heart strings. But it is important to note that our legal justice system provides a person accused of driving while impaired with the right to be presumed innocent of the charges unless, and until, proven guilty of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Tragic car accidents are difficult for victim’s families, and a family’s loss is not only heartbreaking for the family, but generally for the community as well.
However, a defendant still has an important right under our Constitution to a complete defense to any criminal charges that may flow from a tragic accident.
Source: The Greenville Daily Reflector, “Farmville man charged in fatal crash,” Jane Dail, Oct. 2, 2012
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