A Lawrenceville, Georgia, man was killed and a 33-year-old woman is facing several charges, including drunk driving and first-degree homicide, after a fatal crash on Interstate 85 recently.
The victim, who was 24, was sitting in a disabled vehicle around 6 a.m., parked on the shoulder of Interstate 85 north near Pleasant Hill Road. The woman is alleged to have run into the rear of the parked car, and the impact propelled the stalled car into traffic on the highway. A tractor-trailer hit the car, which burst into flames.
Other drivers stopped in an attempt to assist the disabled vehicle. They risked their lives to try to save the man, pulling him out of the car, but he died from his injuries, according to police.
The woman was taken to Gwinnett County jail. Charges against her also include making an improper lane change and reckless driving.
According to records at the jail, the woman was booked there seven times from 2005 to 2010. Of the 14 charges she faced, some of them were drug-related.
This woman will have her day in court, and her defense attorney will have a chance to present evidence and call witnesses to the stand.
But for people such as this woman, if she is found guilty of drunk driving and other charges, she will be another victim. While we don’t know all the details of her arrest record, we do know that she likely could have benefited years ago from intervention and perhaps time in a drug or alcohol rehab center. It is the job of an attorney to advocate for the best course of treatment for a client to keep them from repeat offenses.