Second Degree Murder Charge For Drunk Driver

A North Carolina car accident claimed the life of a teenager and seriously injured two others last Sunday. The Charlotte Observer reported that Gaston County resident Howard Clay Pasour has been charged with second degree murder in the death of 17 year old Laura Fortenberry, a student in Charlotte. He is also charged with aggravated felony death by motor vehicle, habitual DWI, and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.

North Carolina Highway Patrol estimates that Pasour was driving 60mph when he crossed the center line and struck an oncoming vehicle head-on, killing Fortenberry. Officers found open containers of alcohol in Pasour’s vehicle. According to witnesses, Pasour was seen driving erratically before the collision, and a witness that assisted Pasour after the crash noticed the smell of beer on Pasour’s breath.

As a parent, it is heartbreaking to know that the families of these young victims are suffering the worst hurt imaginable. As a Charlotte car accident lawyer, it is frustrating to see that despite Pasour’s long history of drug and alcohol convictions, he continued to drink and drive. It is particularly enraging that even with 2 prior convictions for DWI and multiple charges for drug possession, there were even more charges for driving with license revoked, no operators license, and drug possession that did NOT result in convictions.

If you or a loved one are injured by a drunk driver, call Auger & Auger to discuss your legal options.