A man involved in a collision that claimed the life of a 6-year-old girl is under arrest on suspicion of drinking and driving, according to police. Officers in Waterbury, Connecticut responded to the crash around 9:30 p.m. the night of July 5. The accused man now faces a DUI charge as well as multiple additional traffic charges. He was being held on a $750,000 bond pending his arraignment.
According to the report, it appears the accused driver, who was driving a van, rear-ended a parked vehicle in the northbound lane of Baldwin Street. The impact was strong enough to push the parked car forward, striking a 29-year-old woman and a 6-year-old girl and crushing them between two parked cars. A 30-year-old male pedestrian was also struck by the second vehicle.
The woman and child were rushed to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. The child was later pronounced dead. The injured man was treated for non life-threatening injuries. The 39-year-old driver of the van reportedly fled the scene on foot before being apprehended by police and brought back to the site of the accident. Police charged the man with DUI as well as evading responsibility in an accident causing death, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, and several other minor traffic charges.
Of course the child’s death in this case is undeniably tragic, but the burden of proof still rests with Connecticut prosecutors to prove beyond a reasonable doubt every element of the DUI charge. The man will be represented in criminal court by a defense attorney who will work to build a compelling defense for the accused man against these charges. Whether that results in a plea agreement or a verdict after trial, the attorney will focus on protecting the client’s legal rights at every stage of the proceedings.
