Several teens from Glastonbury, Connecticut found themselves facing criminal charges related to a drunk driving incident back in July of 2013. The unusual aspect of the case is that the charges are not related to their own impaired driving, but because they allowed a friend they knew was intoxicated to get behind the wheel and drive herself home, a mistake that ultimately resulted in the 17-year-old’s death.
Law enforcement officials in Glastonbury say that 17-year-old girl was severely impaired the night of July 14th when she crashed a friend’s parents’ 2008 Honda Pilot into a tree on her way home from a night of partying. Police say that the driver was alone in the SUV at the time of the crash and died at the scene of the accident from her severe injuries.
Though the accident would appear to stand as a tragic reminder of the dangers associated with young teens drinking and driving, police decided that the incident was more than a cautionary tale; it was also a crime. Local law enforcement officials said that the other teens that had been in the car with the driver ought to be held criminally liable for allowing the girl to drive, knowing full well that she was impaired.
According to authorities, the drive home began when the driver and four other friends piled into the SUV. One boy drove himself and a friend home at which point, another 17-year-old got behind the wheel. That teen drove himself and a 16-year-old friend home and gave driver, the last teen remaining, keys to the car. Police say only a half-mile away from the last teen’s house the car drifted off the road and hit a tree.
An investigation into the crash determined that the girl’s BAC was 0.27 at the time of the accident. Given the laws in Connecticut for underage drivers, this amounted to 13 times the state’s legal limit. Police say given her extreme drunkenness, the other teens understood that she was too impaired to drive, but gave her the keys regardless. The police have said that the young men knew she was too drunk to drive and should never have allowed her to do so. As a result, the first teen that drove that night has been charged with operating a vehicle during restricted times. The second teen to drive was charged with second-degree reckless endangerment as well as operating restrictions. The final teen to drive has also been charged with second-degree reckless endangerment.
Beyond the teens being charged in connection with her driving, the girl who threw the house party that the teens attended has also been charged with serving alcohol to underage drivers. Given Connecticut’s Social Host Liability law, this could lead to serious financial and criminal penalties.
Source: “Teens Arrested for Letting Friend Drive Drunk Before Fatal Crash,” published at NBCConnecticut.com.