A DUI traffic accident occurred earlier this month in a Pueblo intersection. According to the Pueblo Police Department, the accident happened on Friday, May 15th around 9 p.m. and resulted in two very mangled vehicles and multiple people being taken to the hospital for treatment.
The accident took place in southwest Pueblo near the intersection of Lehigh and Northern Avenues. At the time of this writing there are a lot of details that have not been made public, but police do suspect the driver to have been driving while intoxicated, and have confirmed that multiple people were injured, with at least one person being seriously injured.
The crash shut down traffic in the westbound lanes for multiple hours while police investigated.
Drunk Driving Statistics in the United States
DUI accidents are all too common in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accidents caused by an alcohol-impaired driver are responsible for an average of 29 deaths every day in the United States. That is equivalent to one fatality every 50 minutes.
Drunk driving accidents cost an average of over $44 billion every year, and in 2016 accounted for 28% of all traffic fatalities in the U.S.
But it’s not just alcohol that is to blame for accidents caused by an intoxicated driver. It is estimated that roughly 16% of motor vehicle accidents involve drugs other than alcohol, including both legal and illegal substances.
On average, 111 million adults a year self-report in surveys that they’ve driven while impaired by alcohol, at some point over the last year. Of that 111 million, only 1% were arrested for driving under the influence in 2016.
We can all do our part to help reduce the unnecessary and tragic loss of thousands of lives each and every year, if we just commit to driving safely, and driving sober.
Contact Our Pueblo DUI Accident Lawyers
If you or someone you love suffered an injury in a DUI accident in Pueblo or anywhere in Colorado, our law firm is the first call you should make. Pueblo attorneys at Smith & Smith are a compassionate and staunch legal team for injured accident victims and their families.
He can help you through this difficult time and protect your rights to compensation every step of the way. Call us at (719) 544-0062 or fill out our confidential contact form for more information. We offer free initial consultations so we can review all of your legal options with you.