Sometimes drinking and driving is an innocent mistake, but the choice to drink and drive can quickly have devastating and deadly consequences for the driver and for others out on the road. Recently, a 48-year-old man from Levittown, Pennsylvania was charged with a felony level DUI charge and homicide by vehicle for his role in a deadly wrong-way collision.

Two Sundays ago, the 48-year-old driver was allegedly traveling the wrong way on Erie Avenue in Philadelphia when he slammed into a 48-year-old police officer who had just gotten off duty and was traveling on his police motorcycle. The veteran police officer was killed at the scene of the accident.

According to police, the man from Levittown was heading southbound on the northbound lanes of Erie Avenue and hit the officer near the Cottman Avenue Exit around 3:15 a.m. The 48-year-old driver faces charges of homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence and additional offenses.

Fatal drunk driving accidents come with heavy criminal penalties and potential prison sentences. In an unrelated incident, a 54-year-old father was sentenced last week for his role in a deadly drinking and driving accident. The father faces five to 10 years in prison.

According to CBS Philly, the man was under the influence when he made a unsafe U-turn on Broad Street near Erie Avenue in Philadelphia and crashed into a car full of passengers. The car the man hit crashed into pedestrians on the street and then crashed into a parked car on the street with two people inside. One of the pedestrians was killed and the other was critically injured. The pair were engaged to each other.

A person charged with DUI faces serious consequences, and an experienced criminal defense attorney can help guide those with criminal charges through the legal process.

Source: The Inquirer, “Motorcycle Cop Dies in Collision; Other Driver Charged with Drunk Driving, Vehicular Homicide,” Regina Medina, William Bender, Morgan Zalot and Julie Shaw, July 10, 2012