New Jersey DWI Lawyer Blog
Even in the best of situations, a routine traffic stop can lead to a charge of drunken driving. Here in the Garden State, local police departments and the State Police maintain drunk driving patrols along public roadways in Union, Atlantic, Ocean and Bergen County. It’s not uncommon for a motorist to be stopped for a minor traffic violation and then to be arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, prescription pills (drug DUI), or illicit drugs.
As New Jersey drunk driving defense lawyers, my firm has represented many drivers accused of intoxicated driving, operating a motor vehicle while impaired by a controlled dangerous substance (CDS), and breath test refusal. While our courts take a dim view of individuals who get behind the wheel when legally drunk, they certainly take notice of those drivers who cause a traffic accident while under the influence of beer, wine, hard liquor and even marijuana.
It’s best to remember that being involved in an injury accident while potentially drunk will not win you any points with a judge. Not long ago there was a report of a traffic accident that sent two people to the hospital and resulted in one of the drivers being cited for DWI. According to the news, four individuals were hurt during the crash that occurred along a stretch of Rte 9 near Taylors Mill Rd.
According to police, 20-year-old Matthew Wasek was driving a Honda Accord southbound when he allegedly tried to execute an apparently illegal left turn onto Taylors Mill. As Wasek’s vehicle turned, it crossed in front of an oncoming vehicle driven by a 19-year-old man from Middlesex. The force the crash caused a back-seat passenger in the Honda to be partially ejected from the sedan.
Police reports indicate that 18-year-old Andrew Oksman of Freehold Twp received numerous critical injuries in the collision. He was taken by emergency medical personnel to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick. Another passenger, a 16-year-old girl, also in the back seat, was injured as well. She was flown by helicopter to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, NJ, where she was listed in critical yet stable condition.
Wasek, who sustained minor injuries, was subsequently arrested by police and charged with intoxicated driving, under-age drunken driving, careless as well as reckless driving, and failure to yield right of way. At the time of the news report, an investigation was ongoing and police may have been considering further charges against the man.
Two critically injured in Manalapan two-car crash, DailyRecord.com, April 2, 2011