Nassau County Woman Charged with Three Counts of DWI-Leandra’s Law
Nassau County, NY- A simple DWI charge in New York is serious on its own and carries a number of consequences, but matters get much worse for a DWI suspect if they have a minor child in their car. This is what a Nassau county woman learned late last month after she was charged with three counts of DWI in violation of Leandra’s law.
According to PIX 11, a 43-year-old Oceanside woman was pulled over by a police officer who was responding to a call about a hit and run accident with no injuries. When the woman emerged from her car she appeared to be intoxicated and placed her under arrest.
At the time of her arrest she had three children, between the ages of 6 and 11, in her car.
No one was harmed but police charged the mother with three counts of DWI in violation of Leandra’s law, three counts of endangering the welfare of a child and leaving the scene of an accident.
Leandra’s law was passed in 2009 and was named after 11-year-old Leandra Rosada who was killed when her intoxicated mother loss control of the family’s van and flipped it.
Many people believe that drunken driving fatalities involving children are the result of another driver striking the car children are riding in, but that isn’t the case. In a 2014 study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, researchers found that in 65 percent of alcohol-related crashes involving children they were riding with the impaired driver. In 7 out of 10 of those crashes, the child died while the parent survived.
But a study published recently in the journal Pediatrics confirmed earlier studies that show that’s not true. The study found that 65 percent of children killed in crashes involving alcohol were riding with the impaired driver. Researchers also found that intoxicated drivers were less likely to make certain their children are in a child safety or using their seat belts, thereby greatly increasing their risk of being killed or seriously injured.
Thankfully, this woman was taken off the road before she harmed her children or anyone else, but she will still face stiff penalties if she is convicted of all the charges she is facing. A person convicted of violating Leandra’s Law faces up to four years for each count they face and fines up to $5,000. Additionally, a person convicted of violating Leandra’s Law will have a felony charge or charges on their record.
If you are facing a DWI charge, especially if it involves an enhancement like Leandra’s Law, it is crucial to retain DWI attorney in Nassau County immediately. Trying to handle your DWI charges without legal counsel is unwise and a person could find themselves facing the worst of the penalties. It is worth your time and money to have legal counsel on their side, working on their defense. USAttorneys can help you get in touch with a DUI attorney in New York today. You’ll soon learn you made a good decision.
