A drunk driving accident has a substantial likelihood of causing severe or even fatal injuries. This was unfortunately the case in a crash that was recently considered by the court. In the aftermath of the accident, a teacher was convicted of killing three people when she hit a convertible head-on. The teacher allegedly had a blood alcohol content of .20, which was more than twice that of Connecticut's legal limit of .08. Because of one person's decision to drive drunk, three people lost their lives.

The elderly couple and their passenger were killed when the alleged drunk driver's SUV hit their convertible. She was charged with one count of driving while intoxicated and three counts of manslaughter, in addition to five years of probation, which must be served after her 12-year prison sentence. The Appellate Court has initially overturned the convictions because the trial judge allegedly improperly allowed evidence that showed the drunk driver transferred her interest in her home to her mother for $1 just after the accident.

Prosecutors in the case said that showed that the drunk driver knew she was guilty of the crime, so they appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court agreed with the lower court's original ruling and reinstated the sentence in late 2011, finally giving closure to the victim's family.

Drunk driving accidents with fatalities are always a no-win situation, according to a spokesperson for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, but groups like this hope that such a sentence for drunk driving opens other's eyes so that other victims' families do not have to suffer for the actions of one.

Source: The Stamford Times, "Former second-grade teacher sentenced to 12 years in DUI crash," Kara O'Connor, Dec. 27, 2011