- October 22, 2020
- Car Accidents, DUI
A crash in Indio left two women with serious injuries after they were hit by a drunk driver. That driver appeared in court on October 9 for the Desert Hot Springs crash and the DUI crash victims had their chance to address her directly.
Ingeborg Binninger, a 69-year-old woman, was driving intoxicated on a Tuesday afternoon and struck the two injured victims head-on. The collision also proved fatal for Binninger’s husband, who was in the passenger seat. The victims, Aramaya Ruiz, and Danielle Linares, were 17 and 18-years-old at the time. They had met up that day to celebrate finishing that year of high school when they were struck by Binninger on April 16th of 2019.
The two women underwent immediate medical intervention for their injuries, but they had to wait until January of the following year for an update on the case. January updates came and went with some sentencing. However, it wasn’t until this past Friday on October 9th that the victims were able to deliver their impact statements. It’s difficult for victims to face the one who put them through so much pain, but both victims explained their experiences and made direct statements to Binninger.
Binninger had pleaded guilty for felony charges of DUI, including gross vehicular manslaughter, causing bodily injury, and exceeding the legal limit. On Friday’s hearing, Binninger’s attorney requested a reduced sentence with the promise that the client would quit drinking, and quit driving. He also noted that she had no criminal record.
Both DUI crash victims reported that they’ve had long-term impacts including multiple surgeries, ongoing pain, and psychological trauma. It’s a severe impact that shook the lives of two young women. Ruiz stated that she had a “young and healthy 18-year-old body, but it’s just been damaged so severely.”
If you or a loved one have been involved in a DUI crash or a similar incident, contact our car accident attorneys for help or guidance.
Source: https://patch.com/california/palmdesert/dui-crash-victims-confront-driver-indio-courtroom
