Drunk driving is a serious problem throughout Pennsylvania and a drunk driving car accident can tear families apart in an instant. Even a single drink can increase the likelihood of a fatal crash and individuals with severe substance abuse problems are perhaps the greatest risk on area roads.

One Pennsylvania woman with an addiction problem was recently sentenced for causing a drunk driving car accident which killed her 14-year-old son. The New Kensington woman was driving her son home from a baseball game at the time of the accident. Unfortunately the woman's blood alcohol level was 0.14 percent, almost twice the legal limit for intoxication. The woman also was under the influence of methadone, which is a drug that people use to wean themselves off of heroin.

The mother lost control of her van on I-79, where it hit an embankment in the median of the road. The van then became airborne and rolled, killing the teen. Authorities responding to the scene found beer bottles and an empty bottle of vodka in the van in addition to pill bottles.

Despite being charged with the DUI accident death of her son, the woman continued to drink and drive. While awaiting trial for her son's death she was charged with DUI a second time, highlighting the fact that many drivers do not stop endangering others even after a serious crash.

A judge recently sentenced the woman to 3-6 years in prison for the drunk driving crash that killed her son. The New Kensington woman also pleaded guilty to her second DUI charge last month and was sentenced to four days of the intermediate punishment program and six months probation.

Source: Valley News Dispatch, "New Kensington mom sentenced to 3-6 years in fatal DUI," Jan. 10, 2012