Drunk Driver Severely Injures His Two Passengers
Two men in Illinois were seriously injured after an automobile accident occurred as a result of the driver operating the vehicle under the influence of alcohol. 22-year-old Eric J. Larson suffered non life-threatening injuries. The 23-year-old passenger suffered a broken back, a punctured lung, and a broken ankle. A second passenger suffered an eye injury and a possible broken leg.
Larson faces charges of operating an uninsured vehicle, failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision, and driving under the influence. Larson’s blood-alcohol level was reportedly above the legal limit but the Triblocal report does not specifically state what his blood-alcohol level was.
People are not always aware exactly how blood-alcohol levels can affect their level of impairment while operating a vehicle. Even a blood alcohol level below the legal limit could cause a person to be impaired while operating a vehicle. This is especially true if their tolerance to alcoholic drinks is very low. It does not take much alcohol for a person to be impaired enough to be unable to operate a vehicle normally. Consuming alcoholic drinks can cause dizziness, reduced reaction times and impairment of judgment.
Each of these factors alone and combined can cause extremely serious automobile accidents resulting in equally serious injuries for the victims. The worse part of this incident is the victims’ young ages. They are just entering their 20’s; they are still at a very young age and should never have gotten into a position to suffer as much as they have. If the passenger in this incident had lost his life, the driver could have been held accountable for his actions and sentenced to long periods in prison at such a young age.
