Prosecutors in Wisconsin recently announced that they have charged a woman with homicide by drunken driving following an accident that took the life of a 52-year-old Lanark woman on the morning of Sept. 15. According to law enforcement officials, the woman killed as a result of the accident was a passenger in her son’s automobile. Their car was hit by the 23-year-old suspect as they pulled out of a driveway near Stevens Point.

According to law enforcement, a blood alcohol test was performed on the suspect, and it revealed a blood alcohol content of .15, nearly twice the legal limit in Wisconsin. The woman was taken into custody by law enforcement officials after the accident. No additional information is available on whether or not bond is set for her.

According to media reports, the woman charged with homicide by drunken driving served time in jail for another deadly accident. In the prior case, which occurred in Woodstock, Illinois, in 2012, the woman allegedly drove her vehicle with a man on its roof, and he died after falling off the vehicle. While the woman reportedly served a term after that case, no further details about how much jail time she served in this previous case was provided, nor was the nature of her conviction disclosed.

A Wisconsin personal injury attorney may assist the family members of a person killed as the result of the negligence of a drunk driver in pursuing a wrongful death claim. The attorney may attempt to negotiate a settlement of a wrongful death claim with a negligent or intoxicated motorist’s insurance carrier. As an alternative, the attorney may take the wrongful death case to trial if the insurance company is resistant to furnishing the deceased victim’s surviving partner or family with a settlement.

Source: WAOW, “Driver in fatal crash has deadly record”, September 17, 2013