A Wednesday night accident left two people dead and one person seriously injured. The accident happened when a truck hit a taxi cab in Jersey City, New Jersey, pushing the cab onto the sidewalk hitting a pedestrian. There was also an explosion during the crash, which caused severe burns to the passengers of the cab.
According to a report on The Star-Ledger's website, police say the man appeared to be under the influence of something, although it wasn't clear what substance. He has been charged with a DWI and death by auto.
In a case involving drunk driving, it is important to get the facts straight with police. There also might be facts that are inaccurately reported, which may make it difficult for someone accused of a crime to get a fair trial.
The explosion that caused burns may have been a contributing factor to the people's deaths in this accident. A thorough investigation will need to be conducted to determine exactly how the accident happened as well as the exact cause of death of those involved.
Police will typically use physical evidence and gather information from witnesses to conclude the way the accident happened and they could use that evidence in a criminal trial. Because police are doing the investigation and they are also contributing to the prosecution, it is important that those who are charged with a crime seek out their own thorough investigation of what happened.
A New Jersey criminal defense attorney could help conduct an investigation and build a case for a person's defense.
Source: The Star-Ledger, "2 killed in fiery Jersey City crash after accused impaired driver slams into taxi," James Queally, Jan. 19, 2012