Driver Hospitalized After Fatal DUI Crash

Twenty-three year-old Justin Drake was in hospitalized and in police custody after a crash in late July that left one person dead.  According to reports from local law enforcement agents, Drake was speeding when he came around a curve on Woods Avenue in Fullerton shortly after one o'clock in the morning on Sunday, July 19th and struck both a tree and a retaining wall.  Kelly Pham, who was just 21 years old, was injured in the accident and was pronounced dead at a local hospital more than five hours later.  Investigators involved in the case believe that Drake was driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) at the time of the accident.  Since Drake was injured during the accident, he was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment under police custody.  He is expected to be transferred to an Orange County Jail when he is strong enough.  No court dates have been announced for him yet.  

One of the reasons local law enforcement agencies take drinking and driving so seriously here in Los Angeles is because, as we see in Justin Drake's case, driving under the influence of alcohol can cause serious injuries and even death.  However, not all DUI arrests occur because of horrific accidents.  As any experienced Los Angeles DUI defense attorney can tell you, many people are arrested for DUI without causing any sort of accident at all.  A good Los Angeles DUI defense attorney knows that many people are initially pulled over for improper lane changes or speeding  and may end up being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.  In the case of sobriety checkpoints, or DUI roadblocks, a Los Angeles DUI defense attorney knows that you may not even be doing anything wrong or driving dangerously at all to merit being pulled over and checked by local police.  If you have been charged with DUI, your Los Angeles DUI defense attorney can tell you that, aside from being stopped at a sobriety checkpoint, local police or highway patrol are not allowed to pull you over unless they have specifically observed you driving in a manner that is somehow dangerous or illegal. 

A good Los Angeles DUI defense attorney knows that many DUI cases are dismissed altogether because of an unlawful police stop.  Many DUI charges can also be dismissed or reduced if police investigators did not follow the proper procedure in obtaining their evidence against you.  If you are facing DUI charges, call the attorneys at Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP today at 1-877-781-1570 to speak to an experienced Los Angeles DUI defense attorney about your case.