A woman who drove on the wrong side of the highway whilst under the influence of alcohol pled guilty to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter earlier this week in San Diego.
With her plea submitted, 23 year old April Carole Thompson now faces up to ten years in prison for her role in an accident that took place at around 1 a.m. on December 29, 2012, in the eastbound lanes of state Route 52, where Thompson and her Chevrolet pickup truck were traveling in the wrong direction.
According to accident reports and court testimony from Officer Albert Udan of the California Highway Patrol, a big rig driver spotted the wrong-way pickup truck quickly approaching and slowed to 35 miles per hour while pulling over the right side of the highway. As the pickup truck passed by the big rig, it slammed directly into a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle, driven by 25 year old Jayme Alan Midlam, who was killed instantly in the collision.
As emergency responders arrived at the scene, the two vehicles were fused together. Two witnessed who came to Thompson’s aid following the accident reported that she restarted her engine, and was attempting to back out of the wreckage. As she was eventually pulled out of her vehicle, she was allegedly repeating that “she just wanted to go home.”
Thompson was then taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of moderate injuries, where she was then arrested by CHP Officer Jason Gutierrez, who believed that she was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. After testing, it was estimated that her blood alcohol content was between .24 and .25 percent at the time of the collision, three times the legal limit.
According to Thompson’s defense attorney, she was on her way to her boyfriend’s home in El Cajon from National City when the accident took place, and that she had had only a single drink some eight hours before the crash occurred. Her sentencing is scheduled for September 6th.
If you or someone you know has been hurt in an accident with a driver under the influence of alcohol, you should seek help, as there are legal protections in place to get victims what they need to recover. With the assistance of a skilled car accident lawyer, compensation can be received from those at fault to help pay for things like hospital visits, surgeries, prescription medications and more.
At AA Accident Attorneys, we will work to get you the full amount that you are rightfully owed and help you back on your feet as quickly as possible. As always, we will not charge you anything for our legal services until your case is won. If we do not collect on your case, then you will owe us nothing. Call us today for a free evaluation and to learn what our experienced legal professionals can do for you.

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