Updated on: 3/6/2019
The Seattle Police Department has made two DUI arrests in the past week, both which involved children in the vehicle. In a case where the driver is under the influence of drugs or alcohol while in control of a vehicle, any child under the age of 16 falls under child endangerment laws.
The Seattle PD issued a description of the two recent incidents involving DUI child endangerment:
In the first case, an officer pulled over a Kia Soul that was driving erratically. The officer observred two adults and a 6-day-old child inside and arrested the 19-year-old female driver for a DUI. The adult passenger was also impaired and was unable to care for the infant. Child Protective Services took custody of the child.
In the second case, officers stopped a suspected impaired driver and found two intoxicated adults. An 11-month-old child was unrestrained in the back seat of the vehicle. The driver, a 31-year-old woman, had a suspended license and a lengthy history of DUI arrests. Child Protective Services was notified.
A reminder of Washington State's blood alcohol concentration legal limits while driving:
- 0.08%, if you’re 21 years old and over
- 0.04%, if you are driving a commercial vehicle
- 0.02%, if you are younger than 21 years old
DUIs In Washington State
In Washington State, a driver's first three DUIs are considered misdemeanors. If a driver receives four DUI convictions in under 10 years, that is a felony. Once a driver has one felony DUI, all future DUIs would be felonies as well.
According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), 10,228 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in the United States in 2010. This figure represents 31% of all traffic incident deaths. More than 500,000 Americans are injured in drunken driving crashes each year.
Washington State saw 7,151 alcohol-involved crashes in 2016, 123 of which were fatal. In the Evergreen State, 42 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes involve a driver that was under the influence of alcohol.
Consulting With An Attorney After Being Hit By A Drunk Driver
Unfortunately there are still far too many impaired drivers on our roadways. Victims of drunk driving accidents often suffer very serious injuries, and finding an experienced attorney to represent you is a very important step. While some attorneys who handle drunk driving personal injury cases also represent drunk drivers in criminal cases, Davis Law Group, P.S., only represents victims of impaired drivers, not the DUI offenders who caused horrific accidents and injuries.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a DUI crash in Washington State, contact drunk driving accident lawyer Chris Davis and the team at Davis Law Group at (206) 727-4000 to schedule your free legal consultation.
