According to Portland Police, one person suffered injuries after a car crashed into the bleachers by the baseball field at Deering Oaks Park on July 26th.
Multiple witnesses report seeing a driver and passenger parked in the wrong direction near the bottom of the hill at Deering Oaks Park. Police responded around 5:30 p.m. and approached the vehicle. According to them, the car left the road and crashed into the bleachers by the baseball field and ended up in the middle of a nearby playground where it sopped.
Police arrested the driver of the vehicle on suspicion of OUI and a couple of other charges. A passenger in the car was treated for injuries on the scene and released. Police also confirmed that one person was injured as a result of the accident.
Witnesses said a man was sitting on the bleachers at the time of the accident. The injured party was taken to the hospital to treat a head injury. Police identified the man as 76-year-old Muhizi Pierre Celestin. Sadly, Celestin died from his injuries on July 27th.
Wrongful Death Lawyers Serving Maine
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, almost 30 people in the United States die in impaired driving crashes every day, That’s one person every 50 minutes and nearly 10,000 lives per year. Sadly, most of these tragic accidents could be prevented.
The tragedy at Deering Oaks in Portland is a stark reminder of the dangers of operating a motor vehicle in an impaired state. It’s almost unimaginable that a car could end up where this vehicle did, in the middle of a playground. Our thoughts go out to the family of Muhizi Pierre Celestin. Thankfully, no one else was injured, and all the children on the playground were out of harm’s way.
Wrongful death claims like this one are complicated cases. Everything from the statute of limitation (the deadline before which a claim must be brought in the court system), the damages that can be sought, and the identity of the proper parties are different than a typical traffic accident case. With an on-going criminal investigation, an attorney needs to know how to get investigative information from local authorities while simultaneously conducting an independent review of what happened.
To discuss a wrongful death claim with a seasoned lawyer at Shaheen & Gordon, P.A., please call (888) 801-9916 to schedule your case consultation.
