Woman Faces Charges in Tragic I-5 Crash, Seattle Bar Could Also Be Held Liable
10/17/2007
Sue Hillstrom, the mother of Eric Hillstrom, the young man who was seriously injured in a drunk-driving collision, caused by an intoxicated driver speeding down Interstate 5 in the wrong direction, said Friday, " [The accident] was 100 percent preventable."
Cerrissa Christensen, the woman who caused the crash that left a woman (Hillstrom's girlfriend) dead and Hillstrom with serious injures, should never have been allowed on the road in the first place said Hillstrom's mother.
Have you or someone you know been involved in a drunk-driving accident? If so, consider contacting an attorney today.
Christensen's driving record certainly raises questions of why she was on the road in the first place. Christensen has a 2003 drunken driving conviction and numerous tickets, including ones for a hit-and-run, speeding and reckless driving. On Friday King County Prosecutors filed vehicular homicide and assault charges against Christensen. If convicted of these charges, Chirstensen could be sentenced to more than six years in prison. In this case the at-fault driver was drinking prior to the accident. Prosecuters believe that Christensen was taking shots of tequila in a Seattle bar. The number of shots has not been confirmed, though Christensen's blood alcohol level was three times over the legal limit, but a claim against the bar for over serving the driver comes to mind as a means of recovery. Washington's Supreme Court recently revised the standard for imposing liability on bars and restaurants. Washington used to hold bars liable for injuries caused by their customers if the customer was obviously intoxicated. But case law in the last couple of years has changed that standard from "obviously" intoxicated to "apparently" intoxicated. Relaxation of the standard means that more bars can be held liable for serving too much alcohol to customers like the at-fault driver in this tragic case. Any time there's a drunk driving accident the victims should look to the bar or restaurant that served the drunk driver for compensation.
