Utah DUI Victim’s Family Speaks Up

The family of a Utah woman who was almost killed by a driver who was under the influence and driving the wrong way is sharing the story to remind people why drinking and driving is so dangerous, reports Fox 13 News.

The victim, 19-year-old Sonya Wilson, was leaving her family’s home in the City of Draper to spend the night at a friend’s house nearby. Sonya and her friend were planning to attend their church together the next morning. However, the young woman never made it to the friend’s house because she was struck by a wrong-way driver shortly after leaving her home.

Her mother, Anita Wilson, says that she told her daughter that she loved her and that she should drive safely just before she left the family’s home. Just about four minutes later, Anita recalls, she received a phone call from a man who told her that Sonya had been in a serious accident. The distraught mother could hear the ambulance and siren sounds because the accident had happened less than a mile away from the house.

According to her mother, Sonya saw the lights from the other vehicle and barely had time to scream before they collided.

The young victim has suffered several major bone breaks throughout her body as a result of the accident. One of her femurs has three breaks, and the other has two with a compound fracture. She also has cracks in her pelvis, collarbone and kneecap.

Sonya was struck by a car driven by Bobbi Leigh Phillips, a 30-year-old who only suffered minor injuries as a result of the collision. Phillips has been arrested for possession of marijuana, driving on the wrong side, and a DUI that caused serious injury.

The victim’s mother said that her family and friends could not believe it was driving under the influence that caused the accident at first. The revelation has made them angry, sad, disappointed and frustrated.

This incident occurred just one hour after Utah’s new .05 DUI law came into effect. Now the strictest in the nation, the state’s new DUI law lowered the blood alcohol standard for a DUI charge from the typical .08 to .05.

Anita Wilson says that she does not know whether the new law will make a difference going forward when it comes to DUIs, although she did say she thought it would have made people more aware of the tougher penalties and stricter limitations that come with driving and drinking in the state.

The family, with permission of the recovering Sonya, has decided to get the message out there so that other people think twice before getting into a car after drinking. They are praying every day for her recovery and say they hope no other family ever has to get a call like the one they received after Sonya’s accident.

Unfortunately, drinking and driving are still common throughout the nation. If you’ve been injured by a drunk driver, talk to a lawyer Denver, CO trusts about your accident.

Thank you to our friends and contributors at Richard J. Banta, P.C. for their insight into DUI accidents and injuries.