On May 8th, 2015, five teenagers from Shelby township were involved in a drunk driving auto accident, which ended up killing three.
According to the Detroit News, all five of the teenagers had been drinking. The driver, Jonathon Manolios, was drunk driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08. The two other passengers that died in the crash had blood alcohol levels of 0.02 and 0.07. The Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickerman said that they were in a 2008 Jaguar S-type, traveling between 72 mph and 82 mph, before the they hit a guardrail, flipped five times, and tumbled into Stoney Creek. Four of the five teenagers were ejected from the vehicle. Gregory Bobchick was the only passenger wearing a seat belt, keeping him in the motor vehicle.
Recently, the two teens who survived the crash, Bobchick and Joeseph Narra, have been criminally charged. They will both face a misdemeanor charge for underage drinking, which is punishable up to 90 days in jail, but no charges will be made that are directly related to the accident. Investigators found beer in the vehicle and an empty bottle of Captain Morgan rum near the crash site. According to Sherrif Wickerman, they stopped at a liquor store in Shelby Township on the way to Stoney Creek and picked up a case of bottled Corona beer, using a fake ID.
According to the CDC, alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States, and is responsible for 4,300 annual deaths among underage youth. Although drinking is illegal for people under the age of 21 in the United States, people aged 12 to 20, consume 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States. On average, underage drinkers consume more drinks per drinking occasion than adult drinkers. In 2010, there were approximately 189,000 emergency room visits by persons under 21 for injuries and other conditions regarding alcohol. Drinking and driving can lead to catastrophic automobile accidents and should be prevented at all costs.
If you have been injured in a car crash involving underage drinking, contact a lawyer at The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC. Our accident attorneys specialize in all types of auto accident lawsuits. Call 844.4MI.FIRM for a free consultation today.