Woman gets 16 to 29 months for injurious DWI crash

A driver from North Carolina has been sentenced to 16 to 29 months in prison after pleading guilty to alcohol-related driving allegations. The woman, age 48, had been accused of DWI after she was found to be intoxicated on alcohol and cocaine during a November 2012 accident. That car accident left a Fort Bragg soldier seriously injured; part of his right hand and both legs were amputated, and he suffered severe internal injuries, among other ailments.

Official reports show that the woman pleaded guilty to a Class F felony: felony serious injury by vehicle. She also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor driving while impaired, along with allegations that she was driving left of center. Analysis of the woman’s blood alcohol content showed that she was intoxicated. Her value was 0.10 percent; the legal limit in the state of North Carolina is 0.08 percent.

The woman in this case will be given credit for confinement experienced before her trial. Further, she has been recommended for substance abuse counseling and other mental health support while she is incarcerated. Criminal defense attorneys may play a role in helping defendants get the medical assistance they need and deserve, even if they are convicted of drunk driving charges.

In this case, the woman received the maximum allowable penalty for a Class F felony for a defendant without a prior record. Those affected by the accident had pleaded with the court for the maximum sentence. Still, there is a silver lining behind these drunk driving consequences; the woman will not necessarily have to spend the entire 29 months in custody, and she will be receiving the substance abuse counseling the court felt she so desperately needs.

Source: The Fayetteville Observer, “Fayetteville woman sentenced for DWI crash that injured Fort Bragg soldier” Michael Futch, Apr. 09, 2014