Personal Injury Law

DUI Crash Leads to Four Deaths and Much Needed Criminal Charges

By M. Brandon Smith

At the beginning of this month, the widows and girlfriend of four men killed by a suspected drunk driver in St. Petersburg, FL gathered to speak about the tragedy. 51 year-old Roy McConnell and his sons, 19 year-old Kelly McConnell, 24 year-old Nathan McConnell, and 28 year-old Elroy McConnell, III were on vacation and rented a house on Redington Beach. The four men were returning home from the movies in a Ford Fusion when Demetrius Jordan's Chevrolet Impala ran a red light and struck them. All four men were pronounced dead at the scene.

According to St. Petersburg police, Demetrius Jordan admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before the DUI accident. He told police that he had been mixing liquor with cans of Four Loko, an energy drink with caffeine and malt liquor. Jordan and his passenger, Mario D. Robinson, were transported to Bayfront Hospital with serious injuries.

Jordan is charged with four counts of DUI manslaughter, one count of DUI with serious bodily injury, and possession of alcohol by a person under 21. While Judge Don Horrox increased Jordan's bond on each manslaughter charge from $20,000 to $50,000 and the bond on the DUI with serious injury charge to $20,000, records show that Jordan's driver's license is still active. A request to suspend Jordan's license was submitted June 30^th, but a DMV spokesperson indicated that it can take up to a month to approve the suspension. Prior to the DUI wreck, Jordan already had seven traffic citations with three alone in the month of June.

The McConnell Family Fund has been set up to cover the family's funeral and daily expenses. A portion of donations will also go to Mothers Against Drunk Driving ('MADD') for their work to help prevent such tragedies and to support the victims of drunk driving. You can help support the McConnell family during this difficult time with donations at any Bank of America branch.

Full post as published by Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer on August 18, 2010 (boomark / email).