Drunk Driver Kills Australian Tourist in California
On September 21, 2012, California resident Cara Cameron was found guilty of a murder she committed the previous month. Cameron, who is 26 years old, ran over an Australian tourist while she was drunk driving through the 300 block of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California. Australian tourist and notable former rugby player, Gary Robert Mara, and his family were walking across a street with a “Don’t Walk” sign when Cameron’s automobile crashed against them. Sources claim that the drunk driver, Cameron, “had been traveling Eastbound and had the green light, but failed to stop when the family crossed the intersection.” Mara was severely hurt by the crash and was transmitted to a nearby trauma center. He died the following morning. However, Mara’s 8 year old daughter-Olivia and 43 year old wife-Julianne survived the collision. Olivia received minor injuries and was admitted to a local hospital, while Julianne did not receive any injuries.
Drunk driver, Cameron, remained at the scene of the accident until the Santa Monica Police officials arrived. “During the investigation, authorities determined that she was under the influence and arrested her for felony driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.” Cameron was apprehended, but later released from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department after paying a fee of $100,000 from her $1,000,000 bail. The Superior Court of Los Angeles-Airport Branch, the Santa Monica D.A. revised the charges made to Cameron to include murder after officials discovered that she had a previous alcohol-related accident in 2007. In addition, it was also discovered that Cameron had a history of consuming other substances such as marijuana, cocaine, Xanax, and DMT, a psychedelic. A preliminary hearing will begin on October 29th.
If you or someone you know has been arrested for drunk driving, contact a skilled California DUI attorney for legal assistance.
