It’s not typical for a judge to set a drunk driver’s bail much higher than the general rule, but in this case, a woman who had only been 0.2 percent higher than the 0.8 percent legal alcohol limit was placed on a cash bail well above the $10,000 usually given. In fact, the judge was allegedly so disturbed by her actions that she raised the bail to $100,000. If you are injured by a driver like this one, you may feel that the judge’s actions were justified as you attempt to make a claim to get the compensation you need to pay off medical debts and to recover lost wages.

On the day of the accident in this story, the 35-year-old accused woman had been apple picking with her friend, a grandmother, and three children. When they were returning following the day out, the woman was driving, following her GPS, and sped through a stop sign. That caused her to collide with an SUV, which resulted in the man and his daughter in the vehicle getting hurt. She then struck another SUV, which had been parked, causing the man inside to be thrown through the windshield. She struck another empty truck as she allegedly began to flee, the prosecution claims.

In the woman’s vehicle, it was found that an open bottle of beer was in the center console. A number of gluten-free beer bottles were also on the floor. The woman registered as having a .1 percent blood-alcohol level, despite claiming she had not been drinking that day and that the drinks were from the night before. In her own vehicle, a 5-year-old and 10-year-old were both injured.

Despite denying that the woman had been drinking at the time of the accident, the judge disagreed that $10,000 in bail was enough. She believes that the woman is a danger to herself and others, resulting in a bail so high that it may require her to stay in jail until her trial.

Source: Boston Herald, “Heslam: Judge rules accused driver poses ‘serious danger’,” Jessica Heslam, Sep. 29, 2015