Anyone who has driven late at night — even on familiar roads — likely knows how easy it is to become disoriented. Such disorientation could make it easy to make a wrong turn, potentially causing an accident. Unfortunately, police in Missouri claim that a driver was drunk driving when he headed the wrong way on an interstate and caused an accident that injured two people.
The incident happened one night on a day in Missouri. According to reports, a 52-year-old man was in the southbound lanes headed north. Unfortunately, police say that his vehicle struck a southbound vehicle head-on.
A passenger in the second vehicle suffered serious injuries in the collision and was transported to the hospital by helicopter. The driver suffered minor injuries. The driver of the first vehicle was uninjured. He now faces multiple charges, including resisting arrest, driving while intoxicated, exceeding the posted speed limit and driving in the wrong direction.
When an accident happens at a certain time of day, under certain circumstances — such as a driver allegedly headed the wrong way on an interstate — it might be easy for law enforcement officials to make certain assumptions about the cause of the accident. However, there must be sufficient evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in order to convict someone of drunk driving or any other crime, and assumptions alone are insufficient to meet this standard. Because of the severe consequences of a conviction, the man now facing multiple criminal charges following the Missouri crash may seek guidance from a professional with experience with such cases.