Police say that a Bramwell, West Virginia man who was required but failed to have an ignition interlock device on his car after being convicted of a DUI was driving drunk New Years’ Day when he was involved in a head-on collision in Bluefield, West Virginia.

The Bramwell man was arrested Sunday and charged with DUI involving a fatal accident and failing to have the ignition interlock device installed in the car he was driving.

Law enforcement says that Bramwell slammed a Malibu registered to his parents into a Monte Carlo driven by a 50-year-old Bluefield resident shortly after 7:10 on the morning of January 1. Police say that, “The collision involved a driver-side to driver-side front-end impact,” according to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph. The alleged drunk driver suffered only minor injuries in the wreck. However, the head-on collision proved fatal for the Bluefield man.

While Bramwell is likely to be criminally charged based on his alleged actions, the injured crash victim, or the families of accident victims of a fatal accident may also seek justice in civil court.  A wrongful death suit can be filed in West Virginia to recover lost wages, emotional damages, and other damages.

Source: Bluefield Daily Telegraph, “Man charged in DUI death,” Bill Archer, Feb. 25, 2013