In a curious turn of events, lawyers for a political activist who has been charged in a drunken driving accident resulting in four deaths, has made a bizarre claim. The attorney now alleges that Robert P. Vellanoweth, - although he had a blood alcohol level after the crash of 0.16 – was “not under the influence of alcohol”, and that the other driver in the case was the real culprit.

The drunk driving accident, which made headlines when it happened, involved Vellanoweth, a prominent figure in Sacramento Republican circles, in his Jeep Cherokee and a Chrysler Lebanon. In the Chrysler were 21-year-old Brizchelle Rice-Nash, who was driving the car, her 19-month-old son Kamal, her sister, 17-year-old Brittanya Rice-Nash, family friend 18-year-old Shanice Patrice Carter, and 18-year-old Tanish Jackson. When the two vehicles collided at 35th Avenue near South Land Park Drive, the impact almost completely destroyed the Chrysler. Of the passengers, only Tanish survived, with great bodily injury.

The hearings have just begun, and from the looks of it, any straw that floats by is being clutched at. Vellanoweth’s attorney has thrown out this absurd theory, if you can call it that, that his client wasn’t really drunk at the time of the accident. We don’t know whether it’s desperation that’s causing this joke of a defense. After all, a jury is not going to be inclined to feel very warm towards a well-connected man who managed to kill off four very young persons, including an infant, and entirely because of his arrogance in getting behind the wheel drunk.

Attorney Christopher Wing admits that his client had a blood alcohol level after the drunk driving accident of 0.16, and admitted that his client had had three martinis to drink during lunch. But for some odd reason, of which only he is aware at the moment, he actually told a stunned and packed courtroom that Vellanoweth was not at fault, he was not drunk and the fault of the accident was with the other driver, Brizchelle Rice-Nash. There are so many illogical elements to Wing’s opening statements we’re not sure whether to be amused or angry. For one, he admits that Vellanoweth was speeding at the time of the crash – in fact he uses the words “excessive speeding” – and then, turns right around and tells the courtroom that he (Vellanoweth) was, however, “not negligent.” We would be fascinated in knowing what would be truly “negligent” in the defense attorney’s eyes.

There is even more gibberish coming from the Vellanoweth defense table. One delightful tidbit was that Vellanoweth was actually drinking a non-alcoholic beverage they called a “Virgin Kamikaze”. Unless this beverage works to reduce the effects of alcohol that has just been consumed, we don’t see how this constitutes a defense.

On the other hand, this is a high profile drunk driving accident case, and one where the defendant has absolutely no sympathy from any quarters. There is a great amount of pressure to win, and maybe that’s the reason these wild theories are coming out. As the trial progresses, it will be interesting to see how the defense plans to flesh out these claims.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of drunk driving accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.