Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog
Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What exactly is a wrongful death claim?”
A drunk driver in Shelby, North Carolina is now facing serious criminal charges after causing a wreck that left two people dead and a young boy critically injured. The accident occurred late last month when Dorman and Frances Pompey were driving their 12-year-old grandson in their Ford Taurus in downtown Shelby.
Sadly, the Pompeys were in the wrong place at the wrong time and came into contact with Demetrist Roberts on a crowded street. Authorities say that that things first began to go wrong when a police officer spotted Roberts speeding around 1 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
The officer pursued Roberts’ Buick LeSabre and tried to stop the vehicle. Rather than comply, Roberts took off and turned down a side street. The officer initially pursued the car with his siren and lights on, but then stopped the pursuit due to streets that were crowded with visitors to a downtown art show and farmers market.
As Roberts sped off, he T-boned into the side of the Pompey’s Taurus and eventually fled on foot. Police were ultimately able to catch Roberts, thanks to the help of off-duty officers. The accident occurred with enough force to eject the Pompey’s young grandson from the vehicle, causing serous injuries and leading to hospitalization.
Tragically, the Pompeys died in the accident. Authorities say that internal affairs will review the incident to ensure that officers behaved appropriately, but it appears that given the officer’s decision to call off the chase, that the officer followed proper protocol.
Police say that after detaining Roberts they were able to discover that the man had no driver’s license and was also impaired at the time of the crash, something that many believe was the reason for his speeding away from the officer.
Since the accident, Roberts has been arrested and charged with DWI, two counts of felony death by vehicle, two counts of second-degree murder and felony speeding to elude arrest. Roberts is now being held without bond. Roberts has prior convictions on his criminal record, including concealed weapon charges, theft charges and other weapons charges.
If you, or someone you know, have any questions regarding personal injury claims, please feel free to contact the experienced personal injury attorneys and lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina at Arnold & Smith, PLLC for a free consultation. Call at 704-370-2828 or click here for additional resources.
About the Author:
Matthew Arnold is a Managing Member with Arnold & Smith, PLLC where he focuses his practice on Personal Injury, Family Law and Business Litigation. Mr. Arnold began his career handling insurance defense litigation for several major insurance companies. He also went on to handle business litigation cases and high value mortgage fraud cases, primarily in Superior Court.
Mr. Arnold grew up in Charlotte, graduating from Providence Senior High School and continued his education at Belmont Abbey College on a basketball scholarship. After graduating cum laude he attended law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a full academic scholarship. In his spare time, Mr. Arnold enjoys golfing and spending time on the North Carolina Coast with his wife and three young children: two daughters and one son.
Source:
“Driver charged with DWI after Lawndale couple killed in Shelby car wreck,” by Elisabeth Arriero, published at CharlotteObserver.com.
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