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Coronado suspected DUI accident sparks San Diego woman’s arrest for murder: How California driving laws can affect you.
via San Diego Accident Blog by webdev on 12/21/10
A San Diego woman was arrested on charges of murder in connection with a suspected DUI accident that occurred in Coronado earlier this year in April, according to The San Diego Union Tribune. Melanie Rebecca Flores, 47, was booked at the Las Colinas Detention Facility on Tuesday, Dec. 14 on accusations of drunk driving. The car accident killed Coronado resident Stevens Benjamin Freidman, 95, and two others were also injured in the accident.
Flores is suspected of driving while intoxicated on April 21, when she collided with two vehicles on the Silver Strand in Coronado. The fatal car accident claimed the life of an elderly man and injured two others, but the San Diego woman was not arrested until recently.
Lea Corbin, a Coronado police spokeswoman, said the delay in arrest was due to serious personal injury that Flores sustained.
Flores' blood alcohol limit at the time the car accident was above the California legal limit of .08 and she is now being charged with murder. Flores is being charged with 2 counts of 23153 (A) CVC DUI causing injury, and 2 counts of 23153 (B) CVC DUI over .08 causing injury.
What do these laws exactly mean?
Understanding both parts of California DUI laws
Did you know there are two parts to California DUI driving laws that can affect you? The first offense, California Vehicle Code 23152 (a), is a law that defines whether or not the driver was "unable to drive the automobile with the same caution characteristic of a sober person, of ordinary prudence, under the same or similar circumstances."The other part of California law, California Vehicle Code 23152 (b), focuses on the "per se" charge of "was the driver's blood alcohol level .08 or higher." In Flores' case, Coronado Police Department reports she was indeed driving at a blood alcohol level greater than .08 percent.
Because the accident caused a fatality, it appears that Flores was unable to drive the automobile with the same caution as a sober individual. She was arrested on charges of murder a result.
Every state has nuances in their laws governing DUI driving, but in California, driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or higher is considered driving under the influence of alcohol. In Flores' case, she will be facing both criminal charges and she'll have her license suspended as well since she was driving at a BAC level above .08 percent.
Know that California law does not take driving under the influence lightly. If you cause a fatal car crash while driving under the influence, you can be booked for charges of murder, such as Flores' case, and you may later face charges of wrongful death.
DUI driving is a serious, life-threatening offense. Take the necessary precautions to stay on the right side of the law, and do the right thing for society's sake. Don't drink and drive, period.
If you've been injured by a drunk driver, please call our offices at 1-800-655-6585 for a free evaluation of your case. The Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC, Accident Attorneys in San Diego are experts in personal injury cases involving DUI driving.
Coronado suspected DUI accident sparks San Diego woman's arrest for murder: How California driving laws can affect you. is a post from: Personal Injury Accident Blog
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