It takes extreme intoxication to drive your SUV with an injured bicyclist trapped underneath.  As it turned out after the accident, the SUV driver Charlie Matanza had been driving with a combination of methamphetamine, marijuana and alprazolam in his system.  Matanza has now been charged with driving under the influence of drugs, causing death and bodily harm. 

The accident occurred in 2009.  Matanza was driving with his passenger on Desert Inn Road, when he lost control of the vehicle and the SUV jumped onto the sidewalk.  The victim, Gary Lommason, was riding his bicycle on the sidewalk.  The SUV struck the bicycle, throwing Lommason to the ground.  Matanza continued driving with the bicyclist stuck under his car. Lommason died from his injuries.  Matanza was arrested after he failed a field sobriety test.  He is expected to be sentenced on September 27th.

Nevada has strict laws against drunk driving, although Las Vegas drunk driving injury attorneys believe that these could be stronger.  Every year, hundreds of families in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada are left shattered because of alcohol-related accidents.  Las Vegas is uniquely positioned to have a higher incidence of such accidents.  This is where the world comes to party.  Unfortunately for many of these partiers, the line between having fun and putting other people in danger, often gets blurred.  Intoxicated partiers staggering out of bars and clubs and getting into their car to drive to their homes or hotels, contribute to numerous drunk driving accidents in Las Vegas every year.

For victims of these accidents, it's important to understand that they have rights in a civil court of law.  While a drunk driver may be charged with several offenses after an accident, the fact is that this will not do anything to ease the suffering of the family that is left behind after a fatal accident.  Nevada law allows families of drunk driving accident victims to claim compensation for their losses, including for pain and suffering.