A DUI that doesn’t involve an accident is bad enough. However, when the DUI involves an accident that includes injuries, things can quickly get very serious. The consequences can vary greatly depending on the circumstances of the specific case. At a minimum, a driver convicted of misdemeanor DUI causing injury is looking at informal probation of three to five years, up to one year in county jail, up to $5,000 in fines, up to 30 months in a court-approved alcohol or drug education program, up to three year license suspension, and restitution being owed to all parties. If the DUI causing injury is a felony, the penalties can be much worse.
KTLA reports that a driver suspected of DUI crashed into two vehicles, one of which then crashed into a parked CHP patrol car, injuring the troopers.
The incident happened early Friday morning on the 405 Freeway near Bushard Street.
According to the California Highway Patrol, a truck and a Toyota Prius were traveling southbound in the two open lanes of the freeway. A third vehicle, described as a Chrysler, came speeding up to the two vehicles. It crashed into both the truck and the Prius.
The Prius veered left after being struck, crashing into a marked CHP vehicle that was stopped. The CHP vehicle had its hazard lights engaged.
One of the officers in the CHP vehicle suffered from major injuries. The other officer suffered from moderate injuries. The injuries that the officers suffered were described as non-life threatening.
The female driver of the Prius was also injured. The severity of her injuries was not known.
The driver of the Chrysler was arrested under suspicion of DUI. The suspect was not identified, only described as a male.
