Recently in DUI Deaths Category

Brian O'Neill, a 20-year-old West Nantmeal man on trial for vehicular manslaughter and felony DUI, tested positive for marijuana, according to the West Chester Daily Local. But since THC (the herb's active component) remains in the system for up to a month after ingestion, the question is whether he was actually stoned at the time of the incident.

Daniel Bush, Brian O'Neill's Pennsylvania DUI lawyer, insists that the prosecutor's evidence must prove that the marijuana in his system at the time of the accident was actively intoxicating and impacted his ability to drive a car:

"What you will see is that this case really was just an accident, one with horrific results that has ripped apart families on both sides of the case, but nevertheless just an accident."

Judge J. Michael Williamson sentenced John Englert to five to 11 years in prison for running his boat into another while under the influence of alcohol, killing 12-year-old Valerie Heidt, the Centre Daily Times reported.

The deadly boat crash took place on the Susquehanna River on July 10, 2009.

But while his waterborne DUI took the life of a young girl, homicide by watercraft while under the influence is a lesser felony than homicide by land-bound vehicle while under the influence. A Philadelphia DUI lawyer could better explain the reasons for the difference.

An Associated Press article published in The Pittsburgh CW reported that the 14-year-old victim of a recent DUI collision near Edinboro last weekend, Joshua Gibson, was the driver's son. The driver, Christa Logue, was charged with vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol and possibly other drugs.

Pennsylvania state police said they discovered an empty bottle of vodka, two unopened bottles of beer and some prescription pills in her van after the accident. The 39-year-old mother didn't have a Pennsylvania DUI lawyer as of Aug. 6, according to court records cited by reporters.

Police charged 39-year-old Manuel Albondoz with homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident in relation to an incident that claimed the life of 24-year-old bicyclist Celina Langan, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Police say the incident took place on 12:25 a.m. last Sunday in East Frankford. He was driving a black Ford Taurus that didn't belong to him and lacked a driver's license.

The specific charge against Manuel Albondoz (in addition to a DUI and related counts) is involuntary manslaughter, according to NBC Philadelphia, which may prompt his Philadelphia DUI lawyer to advise a guilty plea.

Bucks County resident Stephen Andrew Strassburg pleaded guilty to reckless driving, driving on a suspended license and under the influence of "metabolites of marijuana," according to The Reporter. The resulting head-on collision from supposed drugged driving claimed the life of 50-year-old Philadelphia man Wayne Cooper.

Blood tests showed traces of marijuana and the drug clonazepam in his system at the time of the crash, however it's not clear if he was in fact impaired at the time. A Pennsylvania DUI attorney can provide more information about the matter, but state law makes it illegal to operate a vehicle with even traces of marijuana in the bloodstream.

Since marijuana stays in the system for up to several weeks after its use, Stephen Strassburg's level of impairment is questionable.

Corporal John Quigg Jr., an off-duty Pennsylvania State Police trooper, was killed last Wednesday when he drove the wrong way on the Schuylkill Expressway under the influence of alcohol, according to The Delaware County Daily Times. His car hit another vehicle head-on and John Quigg was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of impact.

In a sad irony, the veteran state cop oversaw DUI checkpoints in the Philadelphia region and specialized in the investigation of fatal crashes in the greater metropolitan Philadelphia area.

But it wasn't such a shocker for Pennsylvania DUI attorney Timothy Woodward, who represented the state trooper after a DUI arrest in December. 

Assume you've been arrested for DUI. Assume, even worse, that you've killed someone while driving under the influence of alcohol.

What does your Pa DUI lawyer need to do in order to get you off the hook?

Good question. Well, the first thing you need to do is to get yourself a really good Pennsylvania DUI attorney. 

Underage DUI is a huge, yet understated problem for PA DUI lawyers. And with prom season just over the horizon, Pennsylvania DUI attorneys are gearing up for the specific problem of youths driving while under the influence of marijuana.

In recent weeks, PA DUI lawyers have faced off against the court representing underage DUI offenders who were high on marijuana behind the wheel. At a sentencing hearing in Norristown last week, a Montgomery County judge reprimanded a teenage driver who was responsible for a fatal crash that killed two other teens and injured three more.

What does it take to get out of jail free?  Maybe that question is best left to the Pennsylvania DUI attorneys representing William Halloran.

You see, normally when a prisoner is let out of jail early through no fault of his own, his time out may be credited to his remaining jail time; or such is the practice at the Department of Corrections in Pennsylvania. 

This week, Halloran underwent a two-part hearing where a judge ordered the Department of Corrections not to credit the time--where Halloran was accidentally released from prison before his term ended-- toward his prison term, despite argument from his Pennsylvania DUI attorneys. 

34 year old Halloran was released one year early for a DUI charge. On Thanksgiving in 2004, Halloran struck and killed a 12 year old boy, Peter Roberto Jr.  Halloran was driving under the influence at the time of the accident. He then fled on foot. 

An East Stroudsburg man and his Pennsylvania DUI attorneys are preparing for their upcoming trial. Robert J. Kidwell III, 31, is facing charges of driving drunk and killing a pedestrian in January 2009.

The pedestrian, 22 year old Daniel A. Gallagher from Bushkill PA, died when Kidwell's vehicle hit him in the Stroud Township. According to the Pocono Record, such fatal accidents have become commonplace in Northern Pennsylvania, as several pedestrians and bicyclists have fallen victim to drunk drivers.

In this incident, Gallagher was dead on the scene. He was walking on the road when he was struck. Police are unconfirmed as to whether Gallagher was crossing he road or whether he was walking alongside the road at the time of the impact.

Kidwell failed sobriety tests and police report that Kidwell appeared visibly intoxicated at the time of the incident. His blood was drawn shortly after the incident and he was found to have a blood-alcohol content of 0.13 percent.

Pennsylvania's legal limit is 0.08 percent.