One of two females run down by a vehicle in Webster, NY this past Wednesday night talked to the public for the first time since the incident. Carrie Baxter and Susan Moriarty were struck by a car while going for a bicycle ride on State Road. The man driving, Michael Lattuca, 27, has been charged with a DWI. Although it is not against the law in New York State, Lattuca admitted that he was typing a text message on his cell phone when the accident occurred.

According to Baxter, she and her friend were biking a distance of 25 miles just as they do every Wednesday. Suddenly, there was a deafening bang, and both women jolted forward with extreme force until they impacted the ground. The automobile’s side mirror knocked Baxter off her bike, but unfortunately, Moriarty received the brunt of the collision. They both flew off of the embankment with their bicycles and debris in tow.

Sue Whipple, who resides at 1790 State Road, was exiting her back porch when she heard the commotion. Luckily, Whipple is a certified EMT and was able to reach the two women promptly. She realized immediately that one of them was in much worse shape than the other.

As for the driver, Baxter said he was in shock and was not even able to think clearly enough to punch in 9-1-1 on his phone. Lattuca then turned to Baxter and apologized profusely for the damage he had done, exclaiming he should have known better than to text and drive. Finally, when he had calmed down, the driver told Baxter, “I’m going to jail.”

While Baxter only has a bruise to show for the accident, Moriarty had a spinal cord injury. She also apparently had road rash to the point that burn specialists were brought in to monitor her in intensive care.

It turns out that both women are going to fully recover and should be riding together again by next spring, but Lattuca will likely have a tougher road ahead. He will be in Webster Town Court on September 17th.

A new study has determined that stiffer penalties for underage drinkers are helping lower the number of fatalities related to drunk driving. Backed by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the analysis reveals that state legislation restricting the possession or purchase of alcohol for those below age 21 has resulted in 11 percent less drunk driving automobile accidents among people in this category. Additionally, states imposing firm laws against the use of fake IDs have documented a seven percent reduction in alcohol-induced traffic deaths for those under 21.

The authors behind the report stress that the underage drinking laws and ID practices differ from state to state. This is puzzling considering that since 1988, (after a federal law went into effect in 1984 that raised the minimum drinking age to 21) every single state has enforced the two essential pieces of legislation illegalizing the actions of buying and possessing alcohol for anyone below 21.

A few states have willingly instituted enhanced disciplinary measures to deter underage drinking. For instance, some have cracked down on stores and adults that provide alcohol to minors, while others have lowered the legal blood alcohol content limit for drivers. Further examples of deterrent methods include key rental registration, fake ID screening, minimum server/seller ages, nighttime curfews for young drivers, and license suspensions for underage alcohol infractions.

This study analyzed the 16 underage drinking laws of utmost significance and found that not one state in the union has enacted all 16. There is also a large discrepancy between what some states are willing to do to curb underage drunk driving in comparison to others; Utah’s government has approved 15 out of 16 laws, while Kentucky’s has only established six of them.

This report was published at a pivotal time, as many state legislatures are debating whether to lower the drinking age back to 18 for military personnel and/or all civilians. Although the current laws by no means have the ability to eliminate all underage drinking and driving, the data obtained shows that they are, in fact, effective in reducing the number of incidents of this kind. Changing the drinking age to 18 could essentially erase the progress that this legislation has made in terms of lowering the drunk driving fatality rate.

Actor Shia LaBeouf, 22, was arrested under suspicion of drunk driving in West Hollywood early Sunday morning after crashing his pickup truck into another automobile. The rising Hollywood celebrity attempted to turn left at the intersection of La Brea Avenue and Fountain Avenue at approximately 3 a.m. when he slammed into the other car and overturned his own.

Law enforcement at the scene recognized that LaBeouf was displaying signs of intoxication and immediately arrested him. He was subsequently booked and released for misdemeanor DUI. Shortly after, LaBeouf was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to receive care for hand, knee, and head injuries.

Neither of the remaining people involved in the accident, including a woman riding with LaBeouf and the driver of the other vehicle, were treated for injuries. Their names are currently being withheld. While the cause of the crash is still under investigation, LaBeouf’s two attorneys and publicists have refused to speak to the media on his behalf.

LaBeouf, the star of the 2007 summer blockbuster “Transformers” and current smash “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” has been in trouble with the police in the past. However, these prior run-ins with the law pale in comparison to this one. Through the turmoil, LaBeouf’s “good guy” image has overshadowed the negative stories to hit the headlines. It is not quite clear how this incident will affect his image.

Not even a year ago, LaBeouf had an altercation with a security guard at a Walgreens pharmacy in Chicago in which he was also intoxicated. Due in part to his superior level of cooperation with the arresting officers, the misdemeanor criminal trespassing charge was thrown out when the store chose not to take the case to the next level.

LaBeouf received another citation earlier in 2008 for lighting a cigarette in a nonsmoking zone in Burbank, California. A judge later let him off the hook.

Onlookers in Livonia’s 16th District court broke down into tears Thursday afternoon. A young boy who lost his father in a fatal car accident and the mother of the teenager who allegedly is responsible for the crash were seen sobbing.

Stevenson High School student Daniel Andreassi, 16, now faces a second degree murder charge in addition to numerous other charges related to the death of Anthony Cosenza, 20. The judge said Andreassi will be tried as an adult and demanded that he be kept at Wayne County Juvenile Detention Authority without bond until Tuesday, July 1 at a minimum. Andreassi’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea in his absence.

Andreassi is also charged with manslaughter with a motor vehicle, operating while intoxicated causing death, operating while intoxicated causing serious injury, felonious driving, and minor in possession. If convicted on the murder charge, he will be imprisoned as an adult. In the event Andreassi is proven guilty of one of the minor offenses, the judge will have the final say in regards to whether Andreassi is sentenced as an adult or minor.

The prosecution is asking that Andreassi, who will turn 17 in early 2009, be viewed as an adult over the course of the trial. Livonia Police allegedly discovered beer cans inside the car Andreassi was driving at the scene of the accident. Further investigation uncovered that Andreassi had attended a party where he consumed alcohol earlier in the evening. THC, the active ingredient found in marijuana, was revealed in a blood test along with alcohol at the time of the crash.

Andreassi had only been approved a level-2 graduated license, which prohibits driving after midnight. However, this collision occurred at 12:35 a.m. on a Sunday morning as Cosenza and his fiancée, Amy Adams, were departing from the bar they both worked at. Consenza would die on-site. Adams, who escaped death with some broken bones and internal injuries, said she was happy to hear Andreassi would be charged as an adult. She believes that when Andreassi chose to drive 109 mph with a blood alcohol level of .08%, he was making an adult decision, so he deserves to be charged as an adult as payback.

Adams is currently recuperating at her mother’s house, but she still does not have full use of her arms; she is unable to play with her kids or return to work.