Firefighter Charged with Wrong-Way Drunk Driving Accident
Firefighter Eric Refvik, 34, has been arraigned for causing the death of one woman and seriously injuring another when he was involved in a wrong way crash when driving while intoxicated. According CBS Local, Refvik was charged with aggravated homicide, aggravated manslaughter, drink driving, drug possession, vehicular assault, and many traffic violations.
The accident that occurred on November 3rd, 2014, was a head on crash that resulted in the death of Reyda LaMadrid, 47, and critical injuries to her former husband, Edgar Lopez, 47.
LaMadrid had remarried but continued to work as a business partner with her former husband.
Refvik made a horrendous mistake
The accident occurred at 4:30 am, 12 hours after Refvik has started on a drinking binge that also included a cocktail of drugs including bath salts, cocaine, and sedatives. His blood alcohol level at the time of the accident was 0.21%, almost three times the permitted limit of 0.8%. Refvik was driving his Chevrolet Tahoe the wrong way on South Lexington Avenue for a third of a mile at 65 miles per hour in a 30 miles per hour zone at the time of the accident. The Chevrolet collided with the Honda Civic driven by Lopez, who was delivering newspapers along with his ex-wife.
At the time of the accident, Refvik told the police that the beer cans in the back of the vehicle were left over from a football night. He also insisted that he was driving the right way. However, police has been able to obtain CCTV videos that show Refvik drinking at a few bars and also driving on the wrong side of the road, reports News 12.
On March 17th, when Refvik was arraigned, his lawyer argued against increasing the bail set. Refvik has moved in with his family in Mahopac for the duration of the trial after he was suspended without pay. Refvik’s lawyer referred to his history of personal tragedies. Refvik’s family was present at court for the arraignment in a show of support.
Meanwhile, the school were Joseph Lopez studies has raised funds online to help him cope with the loss of his mother and to also fund the return of LaMadrid’s body to her native Peru.
Need for Hard Charging Lawyer
When you or a loved one has been charged with causing a drunk driving accident in Mahopac, NY, you need to immediately retain the services of a marvelous lawyer which can be done easily through USAttorneys.com. When the drunk driving accident leads to serious injuries or death, the penalty imposed can be heavy if the charges are proved. However, an experienced drunk driving attorney in Mahopac, New York, can try and reduce the charges by examining the evidence.
For instance, if some of the evidence was collected without proper legal procedures or if the evidence is not legally acceptable, the charges will have to be dropped. This will lead to a conviction on fewer charges and a lower penalty. Only an experienced defense attorney with a complete knowledge of the laws regarding drunk driving can help with this process.
