A crash involving a wrong-way driver took place in Milwaukee on Highway 45 at around 1:00 a.m. on Nov. 21. The crash is believed to be the result of drunk driving; the 23-year-old woman who reportedly caused the accident admitted to having consumed two glasses of wine, two bottles of beer and a vodka drink that night. She also admitted to having smoked marijuana earlier in the day.
According to law enforcement, a 911 caller reported a wrong-way driver headed west on the eastbound side of I-94 near 84th Street. Shortly thereafter, the woman slammed head on into a bridge pillar in the distress lane of southbound U.S. 45. She was trapped in her vehicle, but escaped the accident without life-threatening injuries. She also struck two other vehicles, one of which contained a woman who is pregnant and was taken to the hospital due to minor injuries.
Officers took the woman who allegedly caused the collision into custody and charged her with DUI – 2nd, causing injury and OAR/OWI-related along with a second degree recklessly endangering safety charge. This is not the first time the woman has faced these types of charges, as she was convicted of a DUI in 2012.
Since the woman has a prior and relatively recent DUI conviction, and she was charged with a DUI that involved injury, she may face stronger penalties if she is convicted. An attorney may be able to help her obtain a plea bargain that either eliminates the recklessly endangering safety charge or reduces the DUI charge. Doing so may help her avoid jail time or a suspension of her driving privileges.
Source: fox6now.com, “Wrong-way driver causes crash on US 45 near Wisconsin Avenue”, Katie DeLong, November 21, 2013
