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Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
DUI Crash Kills One during Myrtle Beach Motorcycle Rally
A Myrtle Beach, South Carolina restaurateur was charged with felony DUI for a crash that killed one person and sent another to the hospital. Michael Hilton, majority owner of the Barefoot Landing Wild Wing Café Inc., was charged with two felony DUIs, including bodily injury and fatality, as well as failure to yield right of way Saturday night. Hilton had a BAC of .15 when given the test.
Hilton allegedly attempted to make a left turn late Saturday night after attending a party. Angelo Gonzalez was killed when his motorcycle hit the rear panel of Hilton's pickup truck. His passenger and girlfriend, Susan Reader, was injured. Both were thrown from the motorcycle. Gonzalez died of multiple traumas and was not wearing a helmet. Reader has a broken pelvis, a broken leg, fractured wrist, two broken fingers and may have to have her foot amputated.
Hilton posted $75,000 bail and was released on Sunday. His lawyer contends that Hilton was not intoxicated and has several friends from the party who state he "had hardly anything to drink" and didn't appear intoxicated.
The Myrtle Beach motorcycle rally lasts for ten days and draws around 200,000 people. It stretches 60 miles from Georgetown, South Carolina to the North Carolina state line.
If you were injured or lost a loved one in a motorcycle accident caused by a drunk driver, please contact the Motorcycle Accident Lawyer site to find and experienced injury lawyer in your area.
posted by Neil at 2:19 PM
7 Comments:
Any update on what, if anything, was ever done with the drunk driver? Was he let off again?
Let me explain why, in my prior post, I asked if he was let off again...
According to a local Myrtle TV station this is the second person this criminal has killed, in Myrtle Beach, while driving drunk. He was NOT charged in the first incident !!!!!
Horrendous that he was not charged for the first death and probably got a slap on the hand with this 2nd death he caused because he lives in "The Dunes".
I made an error in my prior post. It was not reported Hilton was drunk the first time he killed a person. He was never even investigated..GRRRRR
Here is the entire story:
News13 learned this week that Saturday’s incident wasn’t the first time Michael Hilton was involved in a deadly accident.
In April 1991, Hilton hit a University of Georgia senior, Keith Linden, Jr on Highway 17 near restaurant row.
Authorities never charged Hilton in the 1991 accident.
Linden and another man tried to walk across Highway 17 when Linden stepped out in front of Hilton’s SUV, killing the 21 year old student.
Linden had a blood alcohol content of 0.19, according to Nancy Linden, Keith’s mother.
Authorities ruled the incident accidental and closed the case, despite that fact that the Lindens suspected Hilton was drinking at the time of the crash.
The Highway Patrol never investigated Hilton, nor charged him with any crime in connection to the 1991 incident
To Infuriated, Thank you for your concern. The girl friend of Angelo Gonzalez was not going to have to have her foot amputated ever.It was her leg! The doctor that was found for her is still trying to save her leg. She has pins in her leg still from the accident in May 2008 when Michael Hilton hit Angelo and her while drunk, killing Angelo on the spot and leaving Susie in very bad shape. Mr Hilton Left the accident leaving them for trash on the street. Well as it has been put clearly leaving them for road kill! Not even stopping to see if they were ok.Then walking back to the scene and not saying he hit them when the officer had asked who had hit them. Right there that is a very dirty deed!Angelo is dead leaving a daughter and grandchildren here to suffer his loss and leaving his girl friend to suffer so bad and in very bad pain. Michael Hilton hit these two while he was drunk! And he is walking around trying to get out of what he has done. There was a benefit for Susie here in Ohio as she has lost her job and has no income to pay for her expences and her daughters either. She has her mom living with her getting no money for taking care of her and this has put her mothers life on hold as she is married and had to move out of her house away from her husband to make Sure Susie is taken care of. Susie can not take care of her own self! This benefit was to help pay for some of her medical bills and there was 2 phone calls made from Mr Hiltons Lawyers office to the phone numbers on the flyer. Asking Questions and saying they had a flyer! Hummmm I do not see what or how this is any of Mr Hiltons business or his lawyer either a benefit or who was having a benefit to help Susie pay for her bills. These flyers were only put out in our area here in ohio! None were sent out of town at all. I find it very funny that these flyers just happened to get wings and fly down to Myrtle Beach!I'm scratching my head in wonder who's business is it for Michael Hiltons Lawyers to call any phone number and then ask questions and hang up fast when questions were asked back. To me this is just playing games and I think it is none of their business to call anyones phone numbers here at all! Most of all when these phone numbers had nothing to do with them at all! I think if someone thinks they want to play snoop dog they had better start snooping in their own direction as Michael Hilton is the one who has done wrong here in this accident.It is none of Hiltons or his Lawyers business who is doing what here in Ohio! Most of all friends or family of the victims of this awful crime caused by Mr Hilton. It seems like this is already hidden under the rugs in Myrtle Beach as there has not been much said in the public or news about this awful crime that Michale had done.Anyone drinking that even gets into a car while drunk is turning that car into a weapon and is ready to kill someone. It will be years before this poor girl can even think about trying to work even if she can ever work again. It is a good think people are helping her out here as she has not work she lost her job because of all of this and that was to be expected! Family is buying her food and has paid some of her bills for her but this has put a strain on everyone as far as money goes so this is going to be a long road to recovery for her.She gets so up set as she has to depend on everyone who can to take her to Doctor visits , stay with her for surgeries. This is a real mess here to deal with for Susie most of all and everyone else too! Michael has taken years off her life and has taken the love of her life away from her as well as taking Angelo from his daughter and grand children. Everyone feels that the law can not let this happen a 3rd time!Even though he was not charged with the 1st accident he still killed a person! You have to be able by law to stop while driving at any given time if needed to stop! Hummmmmm unless you do not know what you are doing! Infuriated I hope this helps on filling you in.
Just know HILTON is gonna BURN IN HELL! Has anyone given any thought to the Deceased Angelo's Family.....His Mom and Dad, who are grieviing for the son, they can never see again! What a TRAGEDY to have your own CHLD taken away from you.....Never having the opportunity to say your GOOD BYES.....Not to menton the countless Family and friends that have been INJURED....
As I sit here and read this comments, nothing will change the fact that this HORRIFIC accident has occurred.....But we are SURE justice will be SERVED!
Whether it be here on EARTH or in HELL! Hilton, get ready, your day is coming.....Your gonna deal wth your MAKER, these people were on vacation and suffered due to your stupidity and SELFISHNESS.....YOUR A DAYUM LOSER!
I HOPE YOU ARE READY THIS! YOU ARE NOT WORTHY TO LIVE ON THIS EARTH! YOU SHOULD BE ON THE ELECTRIC CHAIR, AND SUFFER HOW THESE PEOPLE DID TOO!
HILTON you are going to HELL, for your crimes.....
I just now found your reply ! Thank you sooooo much for filling me in on things. Many of us are infuriated with how Myrtle handles, uhhh, rather doesn't handle things. I am all too familiar with Myrtle Beach and the bike rally and how Gestapo Myrtle acts towards the tourists but not their "elite" residents.
I have been visiting there for vacations and the rally for a very long time. But never again after all I have found out about that crooked city. I will never spend a dime in the city of Myrtle again !!!
Hundreds of thousands of bikers, in the U.S. AND Canada have joined the boycott of Myrtle city limits) It is big time news.
I do not know if you know or not but :
There was another tragedy at bike week this year.
Another drunk resident hit and killed another motorcycle rider. Difference is, this person that hit them is not the elite like Hilton is, so I wonder if they will pursue the non-elite drunk driver differently?
Eyes are watching to see, and yell foul, plus Hilton's hit and run keeps getting brought up over and over to keep his name out there.
I have prayed daily for Susie and everyone else whose lives have been turned upside down and hearts ripped out due to the likes of Hilton.
I will continue to pray for her and everyone. There are alot more out there that know and are ON HER SIDE and keeping it in the public eye about her case than she might be aware of. I have come across online alot of residents from Myrtle posting about Hilton repeatedly. (that is how I found out about this injustice in the first place)...Last year someone posted Hilton's name in reference to a hit and run in a comment section of an online newspaper from Myrtle, so I went searching to read the article and was OUTRAGED when I read the story.....and then I found this site and posted wanting an update.)
Sadly, there was a hit and run in a town near Myrtle last night (Saturday May 16, 2009) according to thesunnews.com. The article was stating that the state police were asking for help in finding the person who hit the pedestrian.
In the comments section below the article I noticed someone had asked.."Where was Mike Hilton when it happened?"...So thankfully, there are some posting from the Myrtle area who will never let this injustice be forgotten about.
I know the anniversary of this tragedy is here, so please, know my heart, my prayers, my compassion and wishes of justice are sent your way yesterday, today and always.
Motorcyclists or two wheeler riders are prone to accident more than any other kind of drivers. Injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident can be very traumatic. This is due to the fact that motorcyclists have minimum safety while on the road. It is believed that an increasing number of people are falling prey to motorcycle accidents. Victims of motorcycle accidents can surely make a claim for the injuries sustained in an accident. If the accident has resulted due to the fault of the other person, you can make a claim for it.
For more such information, visit: http://www.accidentsdirect.com/
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