A 19-year-old woman who was critically injured in a Los Angeles car accident involving a drunk driver has been identified as Taylor Marie Moss. Her family members told the Ventura County Star that she is on life support and is not expected to survive. Moss was struck by 27-year-old Hector J. Ortiz, who was traveling the wrong way on the northbound Highway 101 early morning on November 1, 2009. Moss' passengers also sustained injuries, but they are expected to recover. Ortiz is facing vehicular manslaughter and felony DUI charges in connection with this fatal car accident.
I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who knew and loved Taylor Marie Moss. This must be a devastating blow to the family that is now looking at raising money for this young woman's funeral. Please keep the Moss family in your prayers.
Los Angeles DUI Car Accident Statistics
According to California Highway Patrol's 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were 94 fatalities and 2,392 injuries reported as a result of alcohol-related car accidents in the city of Los Angeles. In Los Angeles County as a whole, alcohol-related car accidents claimed 268 lives and injured 5,169 people in 2007.
If the details of this news report are accurate, I hope Ortiz is brought to justice and gets the punishment he deserves. Drunk driving is a serious crime. California Vehicle Code Section 23152 (a) states: "It is unlawful for any person who is under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or drug, or under the combined influence of any alcoholic beverage and drug, to drive a vehicle."
Serious Legal Consequences For Drunk Drivers
A driver may be charged with gross vehicular manslaughter when a drunk driver causes an accident that seriously injures or kills someone other than the driver. According to California Penal Code Section 191.5 (a): "Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated is the unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought, in the driving of a vehicle…and the killing was either the proximate result of the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to a felony, and with gross negligence, or the proximate result of the commission of a lawful act that might produce death, in an unlawful manner, and with gross negligence."
In cases where such obvious acts of negligence or wrongdoing is involved, an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer can help victims and their families to better understand the legal rights and options available to them. A knowledgeable car accident lawyer will also be able to advise victims and their families about how their own car insurance policy will apply to an uninsured or underinsured driver.
I love you Jackie
Marla-Chris