When you are out jogging on the highway you have a right to expect passing drivers to look out for you. You have a right to be protected from distracted, drunk or reckless drivers.
I was, therefore, shocked to read earlier this year about the death of a Hanover County woman who was hit by a doctor who was later accused of driving under the influence of alcohol.
This week, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported on how the physician who killed Meg Menzies, 34, is to enter a plea to involuntary manslaughter, thus sidestepping a scheduled jury trial next week in this high-profile case.
The Times Dispatch report stated Hanover prosecutor Stephen Royalty said that Dr. Michael J. Carlson of Mechanicsville has opted to waive a jury trial and is to enter a plea that could lead him to being sentenced to up to 10 years in prison on a conviction of alcohol-related involuntary manslaughter, the maximum sentence.
The report said it was not clear if the doctor intends to enter a no contest plea, “in effect admitting there is sufficient evidence to convict him,” or a guilty plea.
Carlson is reported to have had an elevated blood-alcohol content when he hit Meg Menzies, 34, in January as she jogged along the north side of state Route 54 facing traffic with her husband . According to reports, the doctor’s car left the road on a curve and hit the mother of three children, as she tried to avoid it. Her husband, Scott Menzies, an Ashland police officer, narrowly escaped injury.
Menzies was a keen marathon runner. Tens of thousands of people in the United States and across the world ran in her honor in subsequent days.
This is a very tragic case that reminds us again of the heavy death and injury toll paid on the roads of Virginia from driving under the influence of alcohol.
If you have lost a loved one to a drunk driver, you have a good cause to file a wrongful death claim. Our Virginia wrongful death attorneys can help you through the process and take the burden off your shoulders. While a lawsuit will not bring back a loved one, it will often help bring the drunk driver to justice and help you cover your losses. Call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers at 757.455.0077 for a free consultation.