A 21-year-old woman is facing serious jail time following a fatal crash that occurred in May. The Minnesota woman is believed to have been driving under the influence of alcohol when the accident that killed her passenger occurred. She now faces several charges, including vehicular homicide, though she may also require DWI defense.
What allegedly took place?
According to the report, on May 29 around 2:49 a.m., police responded to a single-vehicle crash in Minneapolis. Two occupants were trapped inside a vehicle that had struck a pole, requiring the assistance of the Minneapolis Fire Department to extricate them. The driver was unresponsive and injured and was rushed to a local hospital. Her passenger was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple blunt force trauma.
Police obtained a warrant to draw blood from the driver at approximately 5:30 a.m., which returned a blood alcohol level of 0.128, well above the legal limit in Minnesota. Police attest that she did not consume more alcohol in the three hours between the crash and the blood draw. The woman was taken into custody following a warrant for her arrest, and she was expected to first appear in court on Oct. 15.
Moving forward
While a blood alcohol level indicating intoxication may seem like damning evidence, the truth is even a blood test can be questioned, as alcohol is metabolized by the body differently, depending upon the person. This is just one of many potential factors to this tragedy the accused woman’s attorney will consider when developing a DWI defense in this case. If successful, this could lead to a reduction in the charges against the accused woman.
