Families Divided over San Diego DUI Legal Fundraising

 Posted on April 16, 2014 in DUI

The families of the victims of a fatal DUI car accident are protesting a fundraising initiative by the family of the driver of the car involved in the accident to pay for his legal fees.

The accident occurred when the driver drove his car off Interstate 8. Two of his friends in the car were killed in the accident. According to prosecutors, the intoxicated motorist had a blood alcohol level of .30 at the time of the accident. They have filed murder charges against him. He has a prior DUI conviction on his record.

His family and friends have gone on a fundraising effort to raise money through donations for his legal defense. However, they are being criticized by the families of the victims who were killed in the accident, for those fundraising efforts.

Emotions can run high, especially after a DUI accident that has resulted in serious injuries or fatalities. That doesn't change the fact that any person who has been accused of a crime has the right to a legal defense. Matters involving intoxicated driving tend to be even more emotional. People very often see these matters in black-and-white. They think of persons who were intoxicated while driving as evil or criminal.

Very often, such incidents occur because of a foolish or youthful mistake, especially in the case of a young driver, like the one involved here. No one denies that when a person decides to get behind the wheel, he is making a serious mistake that could have potentially devastating consequences. But the solution is very rarely to put the person behind bars for the rest of his life.