Drunken Driver Causes Multiple Crashes in Fort Lauderdale-Area
Ft. Lauderdale, FL- A Davie man is facing multiple charges, including DUI involving death, after causing numerous collisions while trying to flee police last month.
On February 17th while Davie resident Dwight Morrison was bicycling along Griffin Road around 11:30 a.m., as was his habit, when he was struck by a speeding pickup truck that drifted into the bike lane. Morrison, an avid cyclist, was thrown 200 ft. and was killed instantly, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
The driver of that pickup truck was fleeing police after he left the scene of a previous accident in Davie just minutes earlier. That driver, later identified as Jose Javier Monserrate-Dural, 28, after hitting Morrison, continued to drive east on Griffin Road where he sideswiped three vehicles and crashed head- on into a fourth vehicle, according to the Sentinel.
The occupants of the four vehicles luckily only sustained minor injuries.
Earlier, approximately 11:00 a.m., police responded to a call of a hit-and-run on Stonetower Street. Witness reported that a pickup truck struck a parked car and left the scene. Davie police Capt. David Engle said an officer located the suspect parked nearby and bot behind his vehicle where he switched on the lights.
The suspect then took off through a nearby neighborhood. The driver hit another car parked on Hawkes Bluff Avenue before another patrol car joined the pursuit. They continued to follow the driver at a distance when he struck Morrison and stopped after the final collision.
Monserrate-Dural was injured and taken to Broward North for treatment. He is now facing charges of DUI causing death, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and driving on a restricted license. The Sentinel reported that Monserrate-Dural had a DUI conviction from March of 2012 and was put on probation.
Probation and a restricted license are common penalties for a first DUI, and for many this is adequate enough to prevent repeat DUI offenses. Many DUI offenders only make this mistake once; their subsequent legal problems and costs are enough of a deterrent to prevent any future offenses.
However statistics show that at least 50 percent of people who are convicted of one DUI will repeat the offense. A second DUI charge will likely result in tougher penalties and mandatory suspension of driving privileges; the driver may also be required to install an ignition interlock device on their vehicles to prevent repeat offenses.
Whether a person has been charged with a first or second offense they need the help of a Ft. Lauderdale DUI attorney. Too many people make the mistake of not hiring an attorney and put their freedom in jeopardy.
Make no mistake, driving drunk or drugged is wrong, but some people are falsely accused or pose no future risk to public safety. This is why it’s very important to have expert legal representation, only they are capable of building an effective defense and help the offender negate some of adverse effects it can have on a person’s future.
