Archive for November, 2009

Lenny Rosado last saw his daughter on 11th October when she was about to go for a slumber party to her friend Brittany’s house. October 12th 2009 was a fateful day for Leandra Rosado, daughter of Lenny. She became the victim of drunken driving accident and breathed her last during the early hours of Wednesday.

DWI death of a girl – What Happened?

It was a happy time for Brittany and her friends as they were heading for a slumber party in Brittany’s house. Fate struck them when Brittany’s mother Carmen Huertas decided to take them on a ride back home to the Bronx.

Carmen Huertas, 31 was drunk and tests reveal that she had a BAC level of .132 when she was riding back with her daughter and six of her other friends. Passing through Henry Hudson Parkway she hit s speed of 80 mph, side tracking her daughter’s request to slow down the vehicle. She even tried to speed up the vehicle as she was reaching the highways, that was when the car went flipping several times and finally dashed against a tree. The accident literally threw 3 children out of the car and one of them happened to be Leandra Rosado who died minutes later the crash at 12.45 a.m.

Driver blamed in DWI death wants to kill herself

It was one of those horrifying DWI accidents, where all the children were severely injured and one of them died. It was clearly an aftermath of irresponsible drinking and driving. Carmen Huertas, the women behind this fatality fractured her arm and is admitted in Harlem Hospital. Other children are recovering from their injuries.

Carmen is said to have attempted suicide many a times in the Hospital blaming herself for the most tragic death of a child. Visitors informed that Carmen was in a high level of depression and is not able to forgive herself for the crime she has committed.

“Death is too good for her” – Lenny Rosado

The devastated father of Leandra Rosado had little sympathy for Carmen who killed his 11 year old daughter due to driving while intoxicated. He exclaimed that death was too good for the killer and spending rest of her life behind the bars, haunted with the devastating wreck she had caused, is the only way left.

The shattered father of the dead girl was indeed inconsolable. He gained custody of his daughter seven years ago and had been taking care of his daughter as single parent from then on. Just as he would spend the rest of his life thinking about the incident and those moments when his child would have been through the flipping car, the killer should not be spared for her recklessness.

A huge number of fatalities usually happen during the holiday season due to drunk driving. The holiday season is upon us and the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve is reported to be the most dangerous season due to alcohol related injuries and fatalities. If you plan to drink do not drive, designate a safe driver to take you home.

How much Alcohol is too much?

Because people react differently to the effects of alcohol consumption, it is very difficult to judge your own blood and alcohol concentration level. A person may not actually feel drunk but may be legally drunk. The likelihood of getting into a fatal car accident increases with every sip of alcohol you consume. Consuming any amount of alcohol will slow down your reaction time and good judgment. Research shows that impairment begins long before a person reaches the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08. A person with a blood alcohol level of .08 to .10 is considered to be legally intoxicated. A driver with the blood alcohol concentrated (BAC) of 0.10 or greater is more likely to be involved in a fatal motor vehicle than a driver who has not consumed any alcohol.

How Consuming Alcohol can affect your Driving

There are serious risks involve if you decide to operate a vehicle while intoxicated. You can harm yourself and cause bodily injury or even death to others. Any amount of alcohol prior to operating a motor vehicle will increase your chances of a catastrophic situation. Listed below are a few reasons why you should avoid drinking and driving.

• Slower reaction time: Driving requires that you can react quickly to emergency situations. You do not have to be drunk in-order for your reflexes to be impaired. A buzz is all it takes to impair your reaction time, thus causing you to overact and losing control of the wheel and causing a delay in reaction of the brake and gas pedal.
• Alertness impaired: To drive safely you need to be alert and aware of your surroundings at all times. Alcohol consumption alters the normal function of the brain and body thus causing you to be less alert and aware, which can affect your driving and ability to make quick decisions and good judgment.

• Blurred Vision: Alcohol consumption also affects your vision. Your vision may get blurred or doubled due to alcohol consumption making it hard to tell whether pedestrians, other vehicles or objects are close or far away.
• Feeling of Overconfidence: People who drive after drinking may get an overwhelming feeling of confidence and not recognize that their driving is impaired. In most cases a driver who is overconfident when driving while intoxicated tends to drive more carelessly and recklessly, often times speeding, weaving from lane to lane or driving off the road and not noticing.

Drunk Driving Facts

If you get a DUI charge and/or conviction, your records will be altered. A DUI on your record can affect you life in many ways, even years after your conviction. Your DUI record is kept by Law enforcement agencies, the legal system and the department of motor vehicle (DMV). Access of your records can also be granted to several different parties, such as insurance companies, colleges, military and employers, causing devastating effects to your future.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle wrecks due to alcohol consumption are the leading cause of death in the United States. Law enforcement agencies across the nation are now issuing stiffer penalties to drunken driving violators in the hope that this will deter people from driving while intoxicated.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported, in 2003 approximately 4 percent of people who reported driving under the influence (DUI) in the past year had been arrested and booked for DUI in the past year.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 41,059 people died in traffic crashes in 2007 in the United States.

In 2004, 30 percent of all fatal crashes during the week were alcohol-related, compared to 51 percent on weekends and holidays.
18-20 year olds are responsible for more than 10 percent of drunk driving in the United States.

Have a Safe and Happy Holiday Season!

Senator John Kerry’s daughter, Alexandra Forbes Kerry was arrested on November 19th, 2009 on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI).

According to reports, Alexandra was in Hollywood at the time of her arrest. Law enforcement pulled Miss Kerry over for an expired registration around 12:40 a.m., then arrested and booked her at the Los Angeles Police Department, Hollywood station for failing a field sobriety test and driving under the influence of alcohol. Alexandra, a 36 year old film producer and director was later released on a $5,000 bail at around 5:25 a.m.

TMZ.com reported that Alexandra refused to take a breath analyzer test at the scene. A later test show a level of 0.06, which is under the legal limit of 0.08.


We can learn from this incident that DUI drivers come from many different walks of life, age, income, and education backgrounds and are not limited to a certain group or class of people. Below are some information about the dangers of drinking and driving.

Dangers of Driving under the Influence of Alcohol

Despite the strict regulations imposed on drunk driving and the risks involved, people are still choosing to get behind the wheel of their vehicle while intoxicated. Consuming any amount of alcohol can impair your driving and increase your chances of being in a fatal motor vehicle accident. When you are in an impaired state, you do not have the same reaction time as someone who has not consumed any alcohol beverage. A person who is intoxicated while driving tends to exaggerate the response of the steering wheel, have a delay in reaction of the brake and gas pedals and loosing total control of all reflexes and good judgment.


When you choose to drive while being under the influence of alcohol, you are not only putting yourself in danger, you are also putting the life of innocent people at risk. Alcohol consumption slower your reaction time to emergency situations. It also alters your good judgment to make quick decisions and alters the normal function of your brain and body, causing you to be less alert and may also cause doubled or blurred vision, thus increasing the likelihood of a catastrophic situation.

Statutory offenses to Driving while Intoxicated

All 50 states in the US and Puerto Rico have now implemented the two statutory offenses to driving while under the influence of alcohol. The first statutory offense is driving under the influence (DUI), operating a motor vehicle while impaired or intoxicated (OWI), or driving while intoxicated or impaired (DWI). The outcome is determined by a police officer’s observations based on slurred speech, unusual driving behavior or the sobriety test. The second statutory offense is called “illegal per se”. Illegal per se is driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.80 percent or higher.

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level

A person with a blood alcohol concentration level of .08 to .10 is considered to be legally intoxicated. A driver with the blood alcohol concentrated (BAC) of 0.10 or greater is more likely to be involved in a fatal motor vehicle than a driver who has not consumed any alcohol.

Facts about Drinking and Driving

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle wrecks due to alcohol consumption are the leading cause of death in the United States.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported, in 2003 approximately 4 percent of people who reported driving under the influence (DUI) in the past year had been arrested and booked for DUI in the past year.


According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 41,059 people died in traffic crashes in 2007 in the United States.


In 2004, 30 percent of all fatal crashes during the week were alcohol-related, compared to 51 percent on weekends and holidays.