On June 11 in Sarasota, Jacqueline Lee Azevedo stopped her car on Main Street, put it in reverse and slammed into the car behind her. She had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .17, over twice the legal limit. On June 5 in St. Petersburg, Ken Hearn crashed his vehicle into a seafood restaurant, narrowly missing a 3-year-old girl and hitting a man dining on the patio. The man received treatment for his injuries. A month earlier, Rose Rivera Kim drove her car into a Ft. Lauderdale poolside cabana at a hotel. She injured one man and killed his pregnant wife. Kim’s BAC was .24, three times the legal limit. The family was in Florida after winning a church contest. In 2008, 1,041 people died in car accidents in which one driver had been drinking.
“I urge drivers to take a zero tolerance approach to drinking and driving,” Gerber said. “There is no excuse for driving under the influence and putting others in harm’s way. The risk to yourself and others is too great. There are always alternatives to driving under the influence; abstain, call a cab, call a friend or family member or simply stay put until the influence has worn off.”
Gerber warned that drunk drivers face potential criminal convictions, fines, probation, jail time, legal fees and/or a suspended license, in accidents not involving injuries and/or property damage. Penalties involving injuries to others have more harsh penalties.
Gerber has been practicing law for 27 years. During those years, she served as an assistant state attorney and lead trial attorney. She focuses her practice on injury cases, including car accidents, boating accidents and nursing home injuries. As Florida’s Heart of Justice, she only represents injured children and adults – not insurance companies. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Florida Justice Association and the American Association for Justice.
For more information, contact Maria Gerber by phone at (866) 233-4529 or by submitting a contact form at her website: http://www.gerberlawgroup.com/contact/
Gerber Law Group, P.A.
Cheney Winslow
800.221.8424
winslow@attorneysonlineinc.com
Source: EmailWire.Com
