DWI Injury Accident

February 28, 2010

New Jersey DWI News: Lower Township, NJ, Reported Fewer Drunk Driving Arrests in 2009

Not long ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that the number of fatal DWI-related accidents dropped from 201 dead in 2007 to 154 in 2008 – according to the NHTSA, 2008 was the last year for which complete statistics were available. Also mentioned was the drop in drunken driving arrests, which were reduced by six percent based on data provided by the New Jersey State Police.

At that time it was suggested that these decreases may have been influenced by the stiffer penalties for motorists convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol. It’s no secret that drunk driving in the New Jersey area is a dangerous activity. Police and state law enforcement agencies continue to increase the frequency of patrols, as well as instituting sobriety checkpoints, also known as drunk driving roadblocks.

As a New Jersey DWI defense lawyer, I know how expensive a drunken driving conviction can be to a person’s bottom line. This is because the penalties for DWI in the Garden State can carry heavy fines and even jail time.

February 10, 2010

Atlantic County, NJ, Motorist Arrested for Fleeing Scene of a Drunk Driving-related Traffic Accident

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Lower County Police recently reported the arrest of a Mays Landing, NJ, man in connection with an early morning car crash on January 23. Based on news reports, 41-year-old Joseph W. Rothenberger was allegedly intoxicated when he crashed his 2004 Mercedes Benz into a tree. Police investigating the accident presume that Rothenberger left a North Cap May residence and was traveling northbound on Deborah Avenue at a high rate of speed. He reportedly crashed his vehicle in the 200 block of Suzanne Avenue when he apparently lost control and ran off the roadway.

As drunk driving defense lawyers, I and my colleagues have seen this kind of DWI scenario played out again and again all across New Jersey. In this instance, police reports indicate that the supposedly drunken man’s vehicle crossed the curb and drive over a sidewalk, eventually ending up in a neighbor’s yard and causing substantial damage to the lawn and a chain link fence before hitting a tree.

Police allege that the driver attempted to flee on foot from the scene of the accident. According to reports, Rothenberger was detained by several other neighbors in the area and held until police arrived. The neighbors indicated that a male and female passenger in the back seat of the vehicle also fled the scene of the accident and apparently ran back to the residence on Deborah Avenue.

February 7, 2010

New Jersey Drunk Driving News: Former NJ Nets Player Must Wear Alcohol Monitor following DWI Accident

by Jonathan F. Marshall

When it comes to arrests for drunken driving the law does not discriminate between well-known and famous personalities and the everyday man or woman. In New Jersey, whether you live in Bergen, Union, Monmouth or Atlantic counties, an arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol can have a negative impact on a person’s life and livelihood. A drunk driving conviction can haunt someone for years, if not for the rest of your life.

As a New Jersey DWI defense lawyer, I have represented a range of persons accused of driving while intoxicated. In a court, everyone should be treated equally in the eyes of the law. Recently, news reports covered the drunken driving arrest of former New Jersey Nets basketball player who allegedly crashed his vehicle into a tree in the Manhattan area in early January.

According to news articles at the time, retired NBA player, Jayson Williams suffered cuts to his face and a small fracture to a bone in his neck after allegedly running his Mercedes sport utility vehicle into a tree just after 3am. He was subsequently transported to Bellevue Hospital for treatment of his injuries.

February 3, 2010

Off-duty NJ State Police Sergeant Charged with DWI, Breath Test Refusal after Warren County Crash

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Having worked both sides of the aisle as a former New Jersey municipal prosecutor and now as a drunken driving defense lawyer, I am always appalled whenever I hear of a law enforcement officer being arrested for any alleged crime. Not long ago, an off-duty sergeant of the New Jersey State Police was charged with DWI as well as refusal to submit to a breath test following a traffic accident in Warren County, NJ.

Over the years, I have worked closely with the police all across New Jersey, so I understand how much pressure their job can entail. However, as a DWI defense attorney I find it the height of hypocrisy when a police officer fails to live up to the standards that all citizens are expected to observe. In the recent case of this officer’s arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol, the incident also involved a traffic accident with alleged injuries.

According to news reports at the time, the officer was suspended pending an investigation into the December 17 drunk driving-related two-vehicle crash on Route 517 north of Hackettstown. According to police reports, Sgt. Steve Pelligra, 45 was suspended without pay. Pelligra is assigned to state police at Hope Township.

January 24, 2010

Man Indicted for Fatal DWI Accident in Cape May had Seven Previous Drunk Driving Arrests

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Multiple drunken driving arrests or numerous DWI convictions can be devastating to a New Jersey resident’s driving record, much less a person’s life. When a traffic fatality is involved, the legal situation can become very serious very quickly. As a New Jersey drunk driving defense attorney, I and my colleagues have represented hundreds of individuals in drunk driving-related court cases. Many of these cases have had to do with the death of another person, which makes a DWI lawyer a necessity.

Recently an out-of-state motorist was indicted for what is referred to as aggravated manslaughter as a result of a fatal Cape May automobile crash in September of last year. According to news reports, John J. Lawless, 37, of Philadelphia was indicted on January 12 for aggravated manslaughter. The first-degree offense occurred on September 12 when Lawless allegedly killed Frederick Shelton, a Lower Township, NJ, resident.

Based on news reports, the chief assistant prosecutor in the case said that Lawless had a blood-alcohol content of 0.229 percent, which is nearly three times the legal limit in New Jersey. Authorities allege that Lawless was driving his Chrysler Sebring while intoxicated, when he veered into the southbound on Route 9 near Bennetts Crossing in Lower Township, hitting a Ford Escort carrying Shelton, his wife and the couple’s 13-year-old daughter.

January 16, 2010

Husband of Jersey “Real Housewives” Star, Teresa Giudice, gets DWI following Crash in Morris County

by Jonathan F. Marshall

According to news articles, the husband of Teresa Giudice, one of the stars in the well-known Bravo television series “Real Housewives,” was recently charged with driving while intoxicated after the man crashed his vehicle into a utility pole minutes from the couple’s home in Montville, New Jersey. Based on police reports, the accident occurred on the morning of Thursday, January 14, in Towaco.

Giuseppe Giudice was reportedly heading north on Jacksonville Road when the Ford pickup he was driving hit the utility pole just before 2am. According to Montville police, when officers arrived at the scene they detected the odor of alcohol on the 39-year-old driver. Due to the man’s possible injuries, the police did not make Giudice perform any field sobriety tests.

Based on the news, Giudice told police he had been in New York and was heading home when the accident occurred. Emergency personnel treated and then transported him to Morristown Memorial Hospital to be checked for internal injuries.

January 14, 2010

New Jersey Motorist Charged with Drunken and Reckless Driving in Middle Township Crash

by Jonathan F. Marshall

A DWI-related single-vehicle crash in Swainton, NJ, resulted in the driver being sent to the hospital with minor injuries as well as causing an area-wide power outage. Police handling the case say that the driver has been charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI). As a drunk driving defense attorney serving residents of New Jersey, I have seen the result of many such accidents.

In this case, the crash occurred, according to police reports, when a pickup truck belonging to Mathew Paschal of Cape May Court House, drifted off the southbound side of Route 9, leaving the roadway and crashing into two telephone poles that support several high voltage power lines in the area.

According to news reports, the accident occurred just before 6pm on New Year’s day when the 42-year-old driver’s Dodge pick-up left the roadway. Middle Township Police arrived at the scene not long after the accident and found the vehicle laying on the left side on the shoulder of the road. Tools and other equipment, apparently thrown from the vehicle’s bed area, were found lying near the crash site.

January 9, 2010

Off-duty Middle Township Police Officer Injured by Allegedly Drunk Motorist in Cape May Courthouse

by Jonathan F. Marshall

As a New Jersey DWI defense lawyer, I should not have to tell anyone that injuring a police officer in a traffic-related incident can lead to serious consequences. Combine this kind of traffic offense with drunken driving and you have all the elements of a bad outcome for the motorist charged with driving while intoxicated. While this seems like a worst-case scenario, it happened recently in Middle Township, NJ.

According to new reports, a police corporal received serious injuries as a result of a collision caused by a supposedly drunk driver. The accident occurred on Saturday, January 2, when Middle Township Police received a call of a pedestrian-car traffic accident in front of a TJ Maxx in Cape May Court House. When officers arrived, they found that the injured pedestrian was an off-duty Middle Township Police officer, Corporal Fran Fiore.

Fiore was transported to Cape Regional Medical Center with serious leg injuries as a result of being pinned between two vehicles. Based on an investigation by police, Fiore was apparently parked in front of the TJ Maxx on the Route 9 side and was standing behind his minivan loading items through the open rear hatch. According to police reports, a Dodge 1500 pickup truck driven by 51-year-old Edward R. Williams backed into Fiore pinning the officer’s legs between the vehicles. Williams then pulled his vehicle forward and parked.

January 4, 2010

DWI News: New Jersey Celebrates the New Year with Dozens of Drunk Driving Arrests

by Jonathan F. Marshall

Now that we’re several days into the New Year, I’ll say it once again: New Jersey law enforcement agencies and local police continue cracking down on drunken driving around our state. New Year’s Eve may be one of the more common times to find motorists drinking and driving, but every day has the potential for many drivers to be caught driving under the influence of alcohol.

As a New Jersey DWI defense attorney, I and my staff spend our days defending people accused of driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence of prescription drugs. Whether deliberate or not, the police and society have virtually no tolerance for this kind of traffic offense. A recent news article highlighted just a few of the countless DWI arrests that occurred throughout New Jersey this past New Years.

Based on preliminary police reports, there were at least 10 drunken driving arrests on the roadways in Bergen and Passaic counties as the clock struck midnight and people from all over rang in 2010. And while it appears that DWI-related fatal accidents were down this year, there were numerous drunk driving arrests throughout the evening and early morning hours of January 1.

December 19, 2009

Seton Hall Lifts Suspension on Player Arrested for DWI Injury Accident on Garden State Parkway

by Jonathan F. Marshall

It doesn’t affect his legal troubles related to a November 9 drunk driving accident on New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway, but Seton Hall’s lifting of Keon Lawrence’s suspension will allow him to play in the upcoming game against Temple University. As a New Jersey DWI defense attorney, I’ve seen numerous athletes and other personalities take liberties with their fame, but there is no mistaking that everyone needs professional legal counsel when it comes to drunk driving-related traffic offenses, especially when they involve an injury accident.

According to reports, the 22-year-old Lawrence was initially suspended from the Seton Hall Pirate’s basketball team following an alleged DWI accident on Garden State Parkway near Newark, NJ. Police reports show that the player’s vehicle was heading the wrong way on the parkway when it collided head on with another car driven by 56-year-old Kenneth Smith. Fortunately, neither driver sustained life-threatening injuries, although Lawrence suffered facial injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Police apparently based the drunk driving charge on an investigation of the crash scene, but not on any direct evidence of alcohol in Lawrence’s body. Blood tests from the hospital were not initially available that day. To compound Lawrence’s problems, he was also reportedly driving on a suspended license.