NJ Cop that Caused Fatal Accident Had Drunk Driving History

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Posted: January 18, 2016

car accident

On March 20, 2015, after a long night of partying at a strip club, then-New Jersey cop Pedro Abad got behind the wheel to drive himself and three friends home. Abad had a blood alcohol level of 0.24 — three times the legal limit — and consequently drove head-on into a tractor trailer on the West Shore Expressway.

The crash killed two of his passengers, including one who was a fellow cop. The third passenger, Abad’s partner on the police force, sustained serious injuries but survived. The driver of the tractor trailer suffered only minor injuries.

In September, Abad — a six-year veteran of the Linden, N.J. police force — pleaded not guilty to 27 charges stemming from the crash, including aggravated vehicular homicide. He was fired from his job seven months later.

Former police officer denies responsibility for accident

Despite posting photos depicting rounds of shots on his Instagram page hours before the crash, Abad claimed the strippers at Curves Gentleman’s Club may of drugged him with the date-rape drug GHB without his knowledge. His lawyer said this is at known practice at clubs like Scores and has requested to test Abad’s post-crash blood sample to see if it contained any traces of the central-nervous system depressant.

Curves Gentleman’s Club is rumored to be off-limits to neighboring NYPD cops, as the department is said to restrict officers from going certain places even while off-duty, because of known shady activity at the locale. Linden, N.J. Police Captain James Sarnicki told the New York Post that his department does not prevent cops from frequenting the club and was unaware of the NYPD restriction.

Abad had a history of drunk driving

The fatal accident wasn’t Abad’s first time getting caught drinking and driving. He had been arrested twice before on drunk driving charges, but was never formally disciplined by his department. In 2011 — while he was an active duty police officer — he drove into a storefront with a blood alcohol level of 0.176. His case was ultimately dismissed, because the arresting department — the Roselle Police Department — did not submit evidence to Abad’s lawyer.

Just two years later in 2013, he crashed his vehicle into a parked car and was so drunk he was unable to complete a sobriety test. After that crash, his license was suspended for seven months, starting in October 2013 and after his license was reinstated he was required to drive with an ignition-interlock device until September 2014. In total, Abad has been involved in eight car accidents since 2005, according to SILive.com.

If you have been hurt in a car accident— or lost a loved one — and you think another party’s negligence or recklessness was to blame, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, funeral expenses and pain and suffering.

It’s important to have a skilled personal injury lawyer on your team to right for your rights. The New Jersey-based firm of Eisbrouch Marsh offers a free case review to discuss your legal options. Give us a call today at 201-342-5545 to learn more about your rights to compensation.

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Car Accidents