A 34-year-old Gaithersburg English teacher has been charged in connection with the death of a woman in a recent drunk driving incident. He’s charged causing a felony death by motor vehicle, failing to maintain his lane, reckless driving, and having an open container of alcohol in his car. More charges may follow as the police complete their investigation.
This isn’t the first time the teacher has faced charges over drunk driving.
In 2016, the teacher twice faced charges — within a single month’s time — for driving while impaired and negligently operating a vehicle in such a “careless and imprudent” way that it put others in danger. He entered a guilty plea in both cases, once to the charge of driving while impaired and once to the negligent driving charge.
Apparently, the teacher wasn’t fazed by his previous brushes with the law. This time, however, his actions took the life of another driver. The teacher had driven his own vehicle into a guardrail off the side of I-95. In the process of getting his car back on the road, he forced another driver to swerve to avoid hitting him. That driver’s vehicle flipped over, and she ended up dying of her injuries at the scene.
No matter how responsible you are as a driver, no matter what precautions you take, it’s always possible to end up in an accident. Often, accidents happen because other drivers don’t take full responsibility for what they’re doing when they’re behind the wheel. They treat the operation of a motor vehicle in a cavalier manner, risking their own lives and the lives of others when they should call for a ride or simply stay home.
If you’re the victim of a drunk driver, you may be able to claim compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and other losses. If a family member dies due to a drunk driver’s actions, you need to talk to an attorney about the possibility of a wrongful death claim.
