In the Binghamton Press and Sun Bulletin, the headlines seem omnipresent: there is a startling increase in local DWI cases. This is a great safety risk, and, as we are already starting to see, it is already leading to accidents.
A 30-year-old Whitney Point man was sent to the Broome County jail without bail after being charged with felony driving while intoxicated on March 8th.
In a crash on I-88 last weekend, a 38-year-old Castle Creek woman was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Her car had “extensive damage” according to a Binghamton-based news report.
A 35-year-old Endicott man was arrested after driving with a blood alcohol content of over .18 percent. He was driving to the left of pavement markings, was unlicensed, and faces a variety of other traffic violations.
According to the Press and Sun Bulletin, on March 7th, there was a four-car crash in Vestal, NY. Two of the four drivers involved now face ensuing DWI charges. One woman, Tonya Silvestri, faces a felony count of driving while intoxicated with a passenger younger than 15 years. The other driver, Stephen Hawkins, was driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.17, a rate that is more than twice the legal limit. Police then went on to make 5 additional DWI arrests in the same weekend—just in Vestal alone!
Last Sunday, Detective Captain John P. Shea of the Binghamton police was driving a city car when he was charged with driving drunk. You can read the comments posted by local citizens about this incident here.
These select incidents are only a few examples of the recent headlines in Binghamton. As an accident attorney, I know that DWI cases are a factor in many accidents and are present in any area. This uptick in DWI arrests, however, is an important trend, one of which others should take note. When more people drive drunk, accidents are bound to occur. When police are arrested for driving drunk in city cars, it is evident that reform must be made. Citizens—be it a mother driving with her young daughter or a police captain entering his night shift— need to take responsibility for their driving and make safety a greater priority.
What do you think about the recent drunk driving arrests? We would love to hear your comments below!
Thanks, Christina
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Christina Bruner Sonsire, Esq.
NY & PA Injury & Malpractice Lawyer
Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William Street
Elmira, New York 14902-1338
csonsire@zifflaw.com
Office: 607.733.8866
Toll-Free: 800.ZIFFLAW (943.3529)
Web:zifflaw.com
Blog: NYInjuryLawBlog.com
