When a driver involved in a crash that harms another person, there will be serious legal consequences. If that driver is under the influence of alcohol, the penalties are much more severe.
Take, for example, a recent case in Colorado. A 32-year-old woman was sentenced to 16 years in prison for killing a 41-year-old man and 43-year-old woman in Breckenridge while she was driving under the influence of alcohol.
The collision happened in the evening as she headed home while under the influence after drinking mixed drinks throughout the afternoon. Surveillance videos show that she had several shots of liquor followed by beer within the hour before she left the bar.
The woman then left the bar to head home. While driving, she drifted off the road. She overcorrected when she realized she wasn’t on the roadway. Her actions led to her entering the opposite lane and oncoming traffic.
Moments later she hit the other vehicle head-on. Her blood alcohol content came back at .290 (three times over the legal limit of .08).
The woman could have faced up to 24 years in prison. The woman plead guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide and was sentenced 16 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
This is an example of how driving under the influence can lead to a serious outcome and major life changes for all involved. The woman involved in this case will spend years in prison, and two others lost their lives.