Baldwin, ME — Police believe that alcohol played a role in a single-vehicle accident in Baldwin, Maine, on Wednesday, August 19, 2015. The accident took place on Depot Road, around 8:00 in the evening.
The man injured in the accident was identified as 36-year-old Stephen Gammon. Police say that Gammon was driving along Depot when he veered into the oncoming lane of traffic. He over-corrected as he righted himself, driving off the road and crashing into a tree.
Emergency workers extricate Gammon from his vehicle, and he was taken to Maine Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
The accident is still being investigated.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
If it turns out that alcohol was involved in the accident, then it’s possible that a bar was also involved. Whether or not this is the case matters because in Maine, bars aren’t allowed to serve anyone who’s visibly intoxicated. If a bar does serve someone who’s already drunk, they can be held liable if that person goes out and gets into an accident. But isn’t the driver responsible for getting behind the wheel in the first place? Of course. But bars have to realize that serving alcohol, specifically serving too much alcohol can affect a person’s ability to make rational decisions, and may push them over the line where they wouldn’t have been pushed before. Laws forbidding bars from over-serving were designed specifically to keep accidents like this one from happening. If a bar can’t be bothered to follow them, they need to be held accountable for it.
— Grossman Law Offices
