A 48-year-old Bridgewater woman is facing vehicular homicide charges in Massachusetts after a fatal weekend car accident in Stoughton.
Patricia Neville-Colp, also faces charges of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the accident, which claimed the life of a 57-year-old Easton woman and seriously injured two others. Police say she failed five sobriety tests after her vehicle collided with the KIA in which the victims were riding. 
A Stoughton DUI defense attorney will look hard at the "5 sobriety tests" the defendant allegedly failed. There are only three recognized field sobriety tests (the pen test, walk and turn and stand on one leg), though officers are fond of having motorists attempt to perform all sorts of antics. Motorists are not obligated to take these tests and the results amount to nothing more than the opinion of an officer regarding your level of intoxication. In this case, police asked her to recite the alphabet and count backwards. She also reportedly had to attempt the breath test five times, before police say she tested .13 -- above the .08 limit for drunk driving in Massachusetts.
The results of a breathalyzer can be challenged -- though a blood test is typically performed after a serious accident. And the training and conduct of officers involved will also be reviewed and may be challenged by experienced defense counsel.
But the media is reporting this woman will also have to battle previous convictions on her driving record -- which prosecutors will seek to use against her wherever possible and which the judge can't help but consider at sentencing. Fighting to keep convictions off your record can save jail time and license suspensions, as well as thousands in fines and skyrocketing insurance premiums. But where motorists really benefit is in the event of a subsequent arrest; this is never more true than when a serious or fatal accident is involved.
The Boston Herald reported that the defendant has been in seven surchargeable accidents between 1985 and 2008. She was being held on $100,000 bail and will be back in court on Oct. 11.
Fifteen marijuana cigarettes were also allegedly found in her car.
Stoughton Criminal Defense Attorney Michael DelSignore has offices conveniently located in Stoughton, Attleboro, New Bedford and Westborough.
Call (508) 455-4755 for a free consultation, 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays.
Additional Resources:
Woman Charged in Fatal Drunk Driving Crash on Route 24 in Stoughton Had Checkered Driving Record. By Patrick Maguire, Stoughton Patch, Sept. 15, 2011.
