Two women in their eighties, were among those injured in a drunk driving accident in Shelby, North Carolina. The accident involved a car and a church van, filled with church members. The seven members in the van belong to the Light Oak Missionary Baptist Church. The members had all been to a revival in Blacksburg, South Carolina, and were returning home when the accident occurred in Shelby. The church van that they were traveling in collided with another car just after 10 pm on Tuesday.

There was extensive damage to the van itself. The windshield was cracked, and the front end was crushed. There were at least two deflated air bags. The senior citizens inside however, escaped with minor bumps and small injuries. Among those injured were two women in their eighties, who suffered cuts.

The accident occurred close to the church’s location. The driver of the other car, Kelly Bowman was driving a 2006 KIA. According to a church member in the van, she saw Bowman’s car veer in and out of her lane just before the accident. The car came right at the van head on, but for the driver it was too late to avoid a head-on collision. At least 9 people were taken to Cleveland Regional Medical Center.

Bowman meanwhile was trapped inside the car after the drunk driving accident. She was taken to the hospital for treatment for minor injuries, and was released a few hours after the accident. She has been charged with driving while intoxicated as well as driving left of center. She claims that she was only driving at 20 miles per hour, and was just trying to reach for something in the back seat when the accident took place. She did admit though, that she had a little grape vodka to drink before she got behind the wheel. She denies that she was drunk, however, claiming that it was just a couple of sips as she headed out the door, which is why the officers smelled it on her breath, and charged her.

This isn’t a first time offense for Bowman, nor is it the first time she’s pled guilty to drunk driving. She was accused of the same act back in 1999, when she had pled guilty to charges of drunk driving.

That there were no more severe injuries or even a fatality in this drunk driving accident is more a matter of good luck than anything else. The age of the passengers inside the church van, all aged above 50, and some in their eighties, could have easily caused more severe injuries to take place. The extent of damage to the van was quite extensive. “Once bitten twice shy,” you would have assumed, but apparently it’s not the case with Kelly Bowman. This is a woman who has been charged with drunk driving before. You would expect that this mother of five would take it on herself to be more careful on the streets, and never drive in a state of intoxication again. Instead she’s back in the same situation barely 9 years later, making the same excuses for her behavior. There are definitely grounds for a personal injury lawsuit here, and we hope the church members involved in the accident will take legal action against Bowman.

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.