Three Teens Die After Head On Collision With Drugged Driver
When someone causes a car accident while under the influence of illicit drugs, this is the last episode in a long chain of events that reached this point. The first time someone takes a prescription pill that has not been prescribed to them, they do not do it with the intention of eventually causing a fatal car accident. The courts of South Carolina have heard many confessions from drivers admitting to driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In most cases, they accept responsibility for their actions and, if given the opportunity, tell of their struggles that led up to the fateful ride. Many of them have struggled with addiction for years. Shortly before the accident, they might have relapsed after many years of sobriety. They might have spent most of their adult lives in and out of rehab, lacking family support and searching for stability that would help them stay sober. They might have even turned to drugs in the first place because they were running away from something worse. Addressing the root causes of addiction and its symptom, drugged driving, is not always simple, but people injured in drugged driving accidents have the right to seek compensation from the responsible parties. For help identifying the parties legally responsible for the drugged driving accident that caused your injuries, contact a Columbia car accident lawyer.
Driver Who Caused Accident Was Having a Psychotic Episode
In September 2024, Melissa Parker, 46, received a 25-year prison sentence for DUI resulting in death. Parker had a documented history of mental illness, and one day in the summer of 2021, she had a psychotic episode. She did not have any of the medications she had previously been prescribed, so in an attempt to alleviate her symptoms, she took the only medications she had available, which were THC gummies and the ADHD medication Adderall, but it didn’t help. She walked to a gas station and stole a Hummer whose owner had left the car running while he was inside the gas station. As police pursued her, she drove on the wrong side of the road and collided head on with a Kia sedan.
Four girls who were about to begin their senior year of high school were in the Kia at the time of the accident. Brianna Foster and the twins Isabella Gaddis and Elleana Gaddis died of their injuries, but Maci Watts survived.
The victims’ families have the right to seek compensation from the responsible parties by filing a civil lawsuit, but Parker, who will likely remain in prison until she has reached retirement age, is an unlikely defendant. The healthcare system that apparently mismanaged her case may be responsible, as may be the owner of the Hummer who left his vehicle unattended or the police department whose officer pursued Parker.
Let Us Help You Today
The personal injury lawyers at the Stanley Law Group can help you pursue a complaint related to a drugged driving accident. Contact The Stanley Law Group in Columbia, South Carolina or call (803)799-4700 for a free initial consultation.
Source:
lawandcrime.com/crime/i-am-glad-they-went-out-together-identical-twins-friend-killed-in-head-on-crash-with-woman-driving-stolen-hummer-while-high-on-thc-gummies-and-adderall/
