Pitcher for Los Angeles Angels Killed By Drunk Driver
Nick Adenhart, a promising young pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, was killed recently in a car accident. The accident, which was caused by a drunk driver, occurred only hours after the Angels won a home game. Adenhart was out with friends that night, likely celebrating his success and the success of his teammates, when a drunk driver sped through a red light and hit his vehicle. Besides his tragic death, two of his friends, Courtney Stewart and Henry Pearson, were also killed as a result of their injuries in the accident. A third friend in the Adenhart’s vehicle, Jon Wilhite, incurred major injuries.
Rather than help the victims in the car he just hit, the drunk driver, a man by the name of Andrew Thomas Gallo, sped from the accident. He chose to flee the scene of his crime because he was driving with a suspended license while already on probation for other crimes. In addition, Gallo already had experience in court due to previous drunk driving violations. Gallo had been required to attend and complete alcohol awareness programs, offering him knowledge of the detrimental effects drunk driving can have on both himself and others around him. Gallo was soon caught by authorities despite his desperate attempts to escape his crime. His alcohol level at the time of the accident was approximately .20 %, over twice the legal limit.
Because of the prior experience Gallo had in court for drunk driving, he was charged with second-degree murder. In many circumstances that involve Los Angeles drunk driving accidents, the perpetrator is charged with vehicular manslaughter, which provides them with a lightest sentence in prison possible. For Gallo, however, this option was not available. He had been warned extensively in previous alcohol awareness programs that drunk driving could lead to the injury and death of others. By completing these programs and continuing to drive while under the influence of alcohol, Gallo took full responsibility for the death of Adenhart and his friends upon himself with a resultant charge of three counts of second-degree murder.
Although Gallo received what many believed to be due justice for the crime he committed that fateful night in April 2008, the families and friends of his fatal victims will likely never be the same. No amount of court hearings or judgments can make right the wrong that has been done, but personal injury attorneys can help make the lives of surviving family members easier by helping them to win monetary compensation to cover medical bills and funeral costs. If you have a family member who was killed by a drunk driver, consult a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer immediately following the accident. If you, like John Wilhite, were injured in an accident caused by a drunk driver, you can also receive compensation to cover the medical bills you undoubtedly incurred. Although seeing a drunk driver convicted of his or her crimes can bring a sense of justice and retribution to the family members of the deceased victim, it won’t often result in monetary compensation that will cover possible medical bills and costly funeral arrangements.
