Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A 28-year old commercial airline pilot pled guilty to negligent homicide involving the death of a 68-year-old who was struck broadside by an SUV operated by the pilot that ran a red light. The judge commented that although the pilot would not have considered flying an airplane after a night of drinking, there was no difference as he was flying an SUV down the highway. The judge further remarked “I do not consider this to be an accident. An accident is something that cannot be avoided.” According to news reports, the pilot driver was operating an SUV which failed to stop at a red traffic signal prior to broadsiding the SUV driven by the unfortunate 68-year old victim. The force of the impact was so great that the van occupied by the victim was propelled into a building. The intoxicated driver was not injured and his passenger suffered injuries.

In the courtroom, the victim’s daughter told the judge that there was no reason for the crash or her mother’s untimely death. The judge further noted that this talented young pilot had a lot of promise, a lot of ability and this should serve as a lesson. The judge further remarked, “We lose a lot of people every year to drunk drivers.” The maximum penalty for negligent homicide in this jurisdiction is two years in prison. It is interesting to note in this case that this tragic car accident occurred at 5:05 a.m. and that the driver pilot had stopped drinking at approximately 11:00 p.m. the night before. A test taken 2 hours after the crash revealed that the driver’s blood alcohol content was 0.06, under the legal limit of 0.08. What would have happened if this same airline pilot, who woke the next day after a heavy night of drinking, and entrusted his skills to a planeload of innocent passengers?

The experienced Philadelphia car accident lawyers of Reiff and Bily are committed to motorist safety and are strong advocates against drunk driving. We urge you to pay particular attention to having a designated driver while drinking.