Latest news with #drunkdriving
News.com.au
15 hours ago
- News.com.au
Woman's insane bill after Rolls-Royce crash
A young woman who was allegedly drunk when she crashed her Rolls-Royce into a Mercedes in Sydney's eastern suburbs could face upwards of $1 million in costs if the allegations are proven. Early on Saturday morning, the Rolls-Royce SUV crashed head-on with a Mercedes that was being driven by George Plassaras, a chauffeur to radio host Kyle Sandilands. Mr Plassaras received horrific injuries, breaking his spine, ribs, both hips and both femurs in the crash on New South Head Road in Rose Bay. The driver of the Rolls Royce, 23-year-old LanLan Yang, was uninjured and returned a positive result during a roadside breath test, police allege. A Rose Bay resident who stumbled across the aftermath said he was lying in bed at 3.30am on Saturday when he heard a 'humungous bang'. 'It set off the alarms of the nearby shops, the sonic boom from the crash was that strong,' the man told 'Me and the missus ran out and were confronted with the scene of the crash. First we see a Mercedes absolutely smashed to pieces.' A fellow neighbour was already at the scene and had already called triple 0, he said. 'Thankfully the man in the Mercedes was alive – he was conscious and moving – and the girl in the Rolls-Royce was just standing on the street in pure shock basically.' Mystery surrounds Yang's background and the source of her lavish wealth. Registration data for her Rolls-Royce Cullinan showed it was a 2025 model, which can retail for more than $1 million. The car was insured at the time, although Yang may not be able to get coverage if drink driving is found to be the cause of the crash. If found guilty, she may also be ordered to pay Mr Plassaras' medical and vehicle costs. After the crash she was filmed being escorted from the scene in a luxury outfit that appeared to include Chanel shoes, a Chanel two-piece and a Miu Miu bucket hat, possibly totalling $5,000. Yang was wearing the same clothes later that morning as she left Waverly Police Station, shielding her face with one hand and carrying a takeaway coffee cup in the other. The young woman reportedly lives in a penthouse apartment in Sydney's east and, in addition to the Rolls-Royce involved in the crash, also owns a white Rolls-Royce Ghost Convertible. Mr Sandilands broke his silence about the crash on Monday, describing his chauffeur Mr Plassaras as the 'greatest employee ever'. 'What did [he] say when he was taken away in the ambulance? He asked for his mobile phone so he could do what?' he said. 'This is a guy at 4.30 in the morning after he has been cut out of his vehicle, he's been trapped in his van for an hour, this poor bloke. 'And he asks the ambo: 'Get my phone so I can make sure Kyle's all right for the week.' Mr Plassaras had to be cut from his vehicle before he was taken to St Vincent's Hospital in a stable condition. When she was taken to Waverly Police Station following the crash, police allege Yang refused to undergo a breath analysis. She was charged with causing bodily harm by misconduct, in charge of motor vehicle and refuse or fail to submit to breath analysis. She was given conditional bail to appear before the Downing Centre Local Court on August 15. She has not entered any pleas to the charges. Her bail conditions included that she not drive a car or leave her penthouse between the hours of 8pm to 6am. A NSW Police spokerson said, 'we are not able to comment further on matters before the court'.
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Deputy ICE leader blames sanctuary city policies for drunk driving deadly incident involving illegal migrant
I.C.E. deputy director Madison Sheahan ties sanctuary city policies with a fatal drunk driving incident in Wisconsin on 'The Will Cain Show.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Haunting faces of teens who'd still be alive if it wasn't 'for female migrant who crossed border illegally'
Two Minnesota teenagers 'would still be alive today' if a drunk-driving illegal immigrant had not crashed into them, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Noelia Saray Martinez-Avila, a 30-year-old illegal immigrant from Honduras, was arrested after she allegedly drove on the wrong side of a Wisconsin highway and killed the young couple on July 20. Hallie Helgeson, 18, died at the scene, and her boyfriend, 19-year-old Brady Heiling succumbed to his injuries a few days later, reported the West Central Tribune. On Sunday, DHS announced they lodged an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer against Martinez-Avila for her arrest and removal from the country. 'Hallie Helgeson and Brady Heiling had their whole lives ahead of them—and they would still be alive today if it weren't for Noelia Saray Martinez-Avila—a criminal illegal alien from Honduras,' said Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. 'Martinez-Avila recklessly drove the wrong way on a highway while intoxicated and killed these two teens.' Martinez-Avila has been charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, homicide by the use of a vehicle, operating a vehicle while intoxicated and causing injury, knowingly operating a vehicle with a revoked license while causing death, knowingly operating a vehicle with a revoked license while causing bodily harm and failing to install an ignition interlock device and violating a court order. According to the court documents, when police arrived on scene they discovered the teens' damaged Volkswagen SUV and Martinez-Avila's Chevy SUV engulfed in flames, reported The Minnesota Star Tribune. The illegal migrant denied she had been drinking, but police reported seeing unopen cans of beer in her car and said she smelled of alcohol. A preliminary breath test measured her blood alcohol content at .208 percent, over two and half times the legal limit in Wisconsin. Court records shoe Martinez-Avila has a November 2020 conviction for drunk driving, and was supposed to have a device installed in her car that prevents it from starting if the driver has been drinking. However, she did not have that device installed when the crash occurred, according to the Wisconsin State Journal of Madison. After DHS announced their ICE detainer for Martinez-Avila, they accused Dane County officials of having a history of not honoring immigration detainers due to sanctuary polices. 'ICE has lodged an arrest detainer to remove this public safety threat from the U.S.,' McLaughlin said. 'Unfortunately, this sanctuary jurisdiction has a history of not honoring ICE arrest detainers often leading to the release of murderers and other heinous criminals Under Secretary Noem, these precious victims will not be forgotten, and we will fight for justice.' As of Monday, Martinez-Avila is being held in the Dane County jail in lieu of $250,000 bail for each count. Her next court appearance is scheduled for August 28. The Dane County Sheriff's Office told they are aware of the ICE detainer and said it is DHS's responsibility to obtain and present an arrest warrant signed by a judge so they can lawfully take custody of someone. 'Supporting crime victims remains one of our highest priorities. They deserve their opportunity for justice, and if an individual is found guilty, they should be held accountable through our court system,' said Sheriff Kalvin Barrett. 'Deporting someone before they face trial allows them to evade that accountability—it's essentially a "get out of jail free" card.' As of Monday, Martinez-Avila is being held in the Dane County jail in lieu of $250,000 bail for each count. Her next court appearance is scheduled for August 28. Helgeson graduated from Montevideo High School in May and had recently started working at an assisted living facility, according to her obituary. 'A dedicated and spirited student, she was involved in numerous activities and excelled both academically and athletically. She was a proud three-sport athlete, participating in tennis, basketball, and softball,' her obituary said. 'Hallie will be deeply missed by all who knew her, remembered for her warmth, kindness, big smile, and the light she brought into every space she entered.' Heiling had been airlifted to the University of Wisconsin Hospital, Madison, where he went through multiple surgeries before he passed away. 'We are weak, weary and heart broken and need to rest,' his mother, Jen Heiling, said on the family's CaringBridge site. He graduated from MACCRAY High School in 2024 and had been a three-sport athlete.
Forbes
a day ago
- Health
- Forbes
Drunk Driving Jump Tied To Mental Health And Police Cuts, Report Shows
A new study analyzed fatal drunk-driving crashes that occurred from 2018 – 2022 and the factors that ... More may have contributed to them. A national mental health crisis that resulted in more alcohol use and reductions in policing may have fueled a rise in impaired driving deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, policies allowing delivery of alcohol were linked with more deaths, but allowing to-go drinks from bars and restaurants was associated with fewer deaths. Those are the highlights of new research on the pandemic impaired driving death spike released earlier this month by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit financed by the insurance industry. The study was based on an analysis of fatal drunk driving crashes that occurred from 2018 – 2022 and the factors that may have contributed to them. 'These results reinforce the need for a Safe System approach that incorporates multiple measures to combat impaired driving,' David Harkey, the Insurance Institute's president, said in a statement. The Safe System or Vision Zero approach to road safety and design takes human error into account. It was first put into effect in Sweden in the 1990s. The goal is to eliminate all road deaths and serious injuries by creating multiple layers of protection, so if one fails, the others will provide a safety net to lessen the impact of a crash. Improvements are designed to result in: safer people, safer roads, safer vehicles, safer speeds and better post-crash care. 'Sobriety checks and other visible policing efforts can only happen if we have enough officers,' Harkey added. 'We should also boost programs that include treatment for substance abuse and mental health disorders.' The research paper, 'Factors associated with alcohol-impaired driver crash deaths in the United States, 2018-2022,' analyzed alcohol policies, mental health factors, and law enforcement employment reductions as potential explanations for the increase in alcohol-related deaths. In this country, the proportion of passenger vehicle drivers killed in crashes with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or above 0.08% – the legal limit in most states - increased from 28% in 2019 (before the pandemic began) to 30% in 2020 and remained elevated at 31% in 2022. Poor mental health Self-reported depressive episodes and suicide plans were associated with an increase in impaired driver deaths during the period of examination. In surveys conducted in May 2020, 60% of U.S. adults reported they had been drinking more with the onset of the pandemic, and sales figures for alcohol also showed a higher volume sold from March 2020 to August 2021 than in the same months in 2017-19, according to the study. Mental health issues likely contributed to increased consumption during the pandemic, researchers said, as many Americans struggled with issues like isolation, stress related to the lack of child care and lost income, and worry about health risks. Cuts to police rosters Reductions in full-time law enforcement personnel was also associated with an increase in impaired-driver deaths, which may have reduced hesitation that drinkers had about getting behind the wheel. There was an average loss of five full-time law enforcement officers per 100,000 residents nationwide during the report's study period from 2018 to 2022. Concerns about contracting COVID prompted some departments to scale back on traffic stops and other routine work, according to the study, and some municipalities reduced police funding after the killing of George Floyd in May 2020. Mixed impact of alcohol sales policy changes The number of states that allowed bars and restaurants to make home deliveries of alcohol rose from 21 to 37 between January and December of 2020, and the number of those businesses permitted to sell alcoholic drinks to go increased from 21 states to 45. Home-delivery policies were associated with slightly more than 300 additional impaired driver deaths per year in the states that adopted them, but to-go policies were associated with some 450 fewer deaths per year in states with those rules in place, though the reasons are unknown. 'It's notable that the effect of the mental health crisis was more pronounced than the reduction in policing, as the mental health dimension of the impaired-driving problem receives comparatively little attention,' Angela Eichelberger, a senior research scientist at the Insurance Institute and the study's author, said in a statement. For more information and to read the full report, click here and here.
The Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Female comedian killed after ‘retired judge runs over her while driving truck with naked woman on his lap'
A YOUNG comedian has been killed in a horrific crash after a retired judge allegedly plowed into her while drunk and driving with a naked woman on his lap. Thaís Bonatti, 30, was cycling to her restaurant job in Araçatuba, Brazil, when Fernando Augusto Fontes Rodrigues Júnior, 61, reportedly slammed his Ford Ranger pickup into her. 8 8 8 8 Bonatti suffered catastrophic injuries, including fractures to her pelvis and a traumatic brain injury after early Thursday's horror crash. She was rushed to hospital and underwent two surgeries on the same day, reportedly suffering two cardiac arrests during the first. Despite doctors' efforts, she died on Saturday. According to a police report, Rodrigues — a former civil court judge who is now a practicing lawyer — had just left a nightclub with the woman, believed to be a sex worker. Surveillance footage allegedly showed her nude and trying to get off his lap when the vehicle came to a stop near a supermarket. Moments later, Rodrigues is said to have stepped on the accelerator, sending the truck into Bonatti. By the time police arrived, the woman had dressed and fled the scene. Officers said Rodrigues smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech, and appeared unsteady on his feet. He was arrested and charged with manslaughter, but walked free on Friday after paying 40,000 Brazilian reais (around $7,150) in bail. The judge's family released a statement expressing sympathy, saying: 'Dr. Fernando's family expresses its deepest condolences and solidarity with the victim's family, reaffirming its absolute respect for their pain and mourning. Country music star, 24, dies in tragic accident after falling off back of pickup truck when it was suddenly started 'Since the incident, they have been offering support to the victim's family.' His legal team added that Rodrigues is barred from interviews due to the ongoing investigation, stressing: 'This silence is not only a legal obligation but also a sign of respect.' But Bonatti's family has been left reeling. Her brother, William de Andrade, blasted the decision to let Rodrigues walk free. He told local outlet TV TEM: 'At that time, I was looking for a coffin for my sister. He paid bail and left. 'He would certainly be sleeping with his family at that time, and I was at the hospital going through the formalities for my sister to be buried.' 8 8 De Andrade remembered his sister as a lively and hardworking young woman known for performing at stand-up clubs across São Paulo state. 'She wasn't mean, 30 years old with the mind of a 20-year-old, besides being a happy and hard-working girl. 'This pain we are going through is very difficult, only God can help us bear it.' Tributes have since flooded Bonatti's social media. One friend wrote: 'I love you my friend. On Tuesday when you sent me messages saying you missed me, it was a farewell.' 8 8
