Pennsylvania man takes motorcyclist's life in drunk driving crash

By the age of 50, one Pennsylvania man has been arrested more than a dozen times for driving under the influence of alcohol, he has pled guilty to six of the charges and has been convicted of drunk driving a total of eight times. With such a shocking track record, it would seem highly unlikely that the man could have had a valid driver’s license. Shockingly, had the man taken the time to fill out the correct paperwork, he could have had a driver’s license as early as 2012. Regardless, his most recent arrest and conviction will keep him off the road for the next eight to 17 years.

The man’s most recent arrest came after causing a fatal motor vehicle accident last year. The 50-year-old pled guilty to homicide by vehicle, among other charges, for driving his Dodge Ram right into a motorcyclist who was driving straight through an intersection. While the driver initially told police that the biker had come from “out of nowhere,” that may have been more of an indication of his 0.28 blood alcohol level.

While the 24-year-old motorcyclist’s family is likely pleased that the chronic drunk driver who killed their son will be behind bars for the foreseeable future, it may not yet seem like they have gotten justice for the biker. Should they wish, they may file a wrongful death lawsuit. By filing a civil lawsuit, it gives the family members the ability to make the man actually pay for their loss and for his recklessness.

It is currently unknown if the family will file a wrongful death lawsuit.

Source: NBC 10, “Man With 8 DUIs Sentenced for Fatal Crash,” Dan Stamm and David Chang, May 7, 2014