Many people erroneously think that a DUI is the same as a traffic violation when there are many differences. One major difference is that most traffic violations do not require a court case. Most of the time, the penalty for a traffic violation is a fine. With a DUI, a person is looking at a misdemeanor, and possibly a felony criminal offense. Many DUI charges are also lumped together with traffic violations since they tend to be committed at the same time. Police officers will often combine tickets for speeding, failure to stop at a stop sign, or other traffic violations on top of DUI charges. The Novato Patch reports on a crash that has claimed one life and seriously injured two other people.
The incident occurred at about 11:14 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5th.
24-year-old Taylor Brindley was allegedly speeding down Center Road eastbound when he ran a stop sign at Wilson Avenue. He collided with a Ford F-150 pickup that was headed northbound on Wilson.
The driver and two of the passengers in the truck were taken to the hospital to be treated for their injuries. One of the passengers received treatment for a dislocated collarbone and dislocated shoulder. The other passenger was treated for fractured ribs.
The 70-year-old driver’s injuries were serious enough that he was admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital. He died the following day from his injuries.
Police say that Brindley showed signs of intoxication. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence causing injury, driving on a suspended license, reckless driving, and failure to stop at a stop sign.
Upon the death of the truck’s driver, the Marin County District Attorney’s office began investigating the crash as a possible case of gross vehicular manslaughter.
