Breaking Bad: Meth, Death, and Automobiles

The hit television show Breaking Bad put the methamphetamine epidemic into the national spotlight, with a compelling story about a chemistry teacher turned methamphetamine kingpin. While the show’s fictional premise entertained audiences and critics alike, it provided a glimpse of the devastating and deadly consequences that follow in the wake of methamphetamine use.

A 2015 study by various Colorado police departments shows that arrests for possession of meth increased by 140 percent since 2010. This increase in meth possession and use has become a real problem for Colorado residents. A recent fatal car crash in California involving three young Colorado natives shows just how far-reaching this problem is.

Lillianne Scott, 20 of Wheat Ridge, Colorado, died as a result of injuries she sustained as a passenger in an SUV driven by Lynnea Hernandez, 19 of Santa Cruz. There were seven women in Hernandez’s SUV, four of them students at UCSC, when she crossed the median and collided head on with another vehicle, killing the other driver instantly. Scott was transported to a local hospital where she died from her injuries. California Highway Patrol discovered marijuana and ecstasy pills, a form of methamphetamine, in the SUV, and charged Hernandez with suspicion of felony DUI resulting in death, gross negligent manslaughter, and possession of methamphetamine.

In Colorado, the person who causes an accident is financially responsible for damages that result from it. This includes both economic, non-economic and even punitive damages when reckless conduct, such as driving while using meth or other drugs or alcohol, are involved. Burg Simpson can help seek compensation for your injuries and to help you recover and rebuild your life after an accident. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.