The emergency services who rendered help
to Jessica McQueen after the crash found her lying outside of the Jeep’s driver’s
side door. She had not lost consciousness and was talking. She told emergency
services that she was asleep on the back seat of the vehicle when the accident
happened. The 2004 Jeep Liberty was found flipped on the median.
22 year old Shaun Pleima was discovered
strapped inside on the front passenger seat of the vehicle, severely injured
and unconscious. He succumbed to his injuries later. Even though she insisted
that she was not behind the wheels, the troopers discovered enough evidence to
establish that McQueen was the one driving the Jeep, as reported by orlandosentinel.com. Switching places with
a passenger who is not intoxicated or claiming not to have been driving are
common defenses by drunk or drugged drivers say Orlando, FL DUI lawyers.
It looks like Jessica McQueen pulled a
Ted Kennedy or tried too considering Ted Kennedy got away with it.
McQueen, now 27, will spend 10 years in
prison as a result of the incident that happened 4 years back on charges
of DUI manslaughter and driving under influence.
According to the court records she
pleaded guilty to the charges last month. The verdict states that other than
incarceration, she will have to take alcohol anonymous classes and participate
in community service after she is released. McQueen’s license was suspended
indefinitely.
In the meantime Pleima’s family is still
grieving the loss of their loved one. They have joined hands with Mothers
Against Drunk Driving to make people aware of the dangers of driving under
influence. How about the dangers of driving with someone who is drunk? It looks
like Pleima made a horrendous decision that cost him everything.
What happened on that fateful night?
On the day of the crash, June 29th,
2012, Pleima along with some of his colleagues from Banana Breeze drove to
Cocoa Beach. The group included McQueen who was a server like Pleima at the
Banana Breeze. Orlando DUI attorneys have seen cases like this just too many
times.
His mother later said that Pleima was
working two jobs at that time. He worked at Banana Breeze and also worked at
the apartment complex where he lived as an IT tech to help pay for school. There
is nothing like working hard in this life. It seems Pleima had two more real
jobs than our president ever had. Being a community organizer does not really
count for anything.
Police investigators found that both
McQueen and Pleima were drinking that night and both recorded a BAC of .14%
which is almost twice the legal limit according to DUI attorneys in central
Florida. McQueen was driving west bound on state road 528 when she lost control
of the vehicle and went through the east
bound lanes landing on the grass median where she was found lying. The vehicle
flipped several times before rolling over on the median.
Investigators Reach Conclusion
McQueen said she was not behind the
wheel and believing her deputies from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office began
searching the woods using a helicopter to locate the driver but no one was
found. The troopers later told investigators that McQueen was seen lying on the
grass next to the driver’s door and all the other doors of the car were jammed.
Moreover, the driver’s seat was pulled forward proving that the car was driven
by an individual of shorter stature. Since McQueen is 5 feet 4 inches whereas
Pleima is 6 feet, the investigators established beyond doubt that she was the
one driving.
McQueen will no longer be working at
Banana Breeze anymore. Her DUI lawyer in central Florida cannot do anything
else for her considering the punishment could be even more severe.
Penalties for a DUI in Florida
Anyone who is charged with DUI will face
harsh penalties and punishment according to Orlando, FL DUI lawyers. Drivers
with no prior DUI conviction with a borderline BAC and no history of causing a
DUI accident, can potentially have their sentence reduced to a ‘wet reckless,
depending on the circumstances of the case.
Whether you are a victim
of a DUI accident or face charges for drunk or drugged driving, what
you need is an Orlando DUI lawyer by your side. If you have been arrested for a
DUI, your legal pro will tackle all the legal hassles and will often unearth
technicalities that will make evidence inadmissible or assume a line of
questioning that will make the jury doubt the credibility of the witnesses and
the prosecutor’s case.
If you have made a DUI driving mistake you
need a legal representative. It may have taken a long time for the officer to
write you a DUI ticket but this website (DUI-USAttorneys.com) can offset that
time consuming process. Use this digital asset to secure that legal help that
can perhaps be a lifesaver for you.
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