HARTFORD, CO – The NYPOST.com* reports that Chris Berman’s wife, Katherine Berman, was driving with a blood alcohol level that was “three times the legal limit” when she crashed into the back of another vehicle. Both Katherine and the occupant of the vehicle that she struck, Edward Bertulis, 87, died in the collision. Bertulis […]
HARTFORD, CO – The NYPOST.com* reports that Chris Berman’s wife, Katherine Berman, was driving with a blood alcohol level that was “three times the legal limit” when she crashed into the back of another vehicle. Both Katherine and the occupant of the vehicle that she struck, Edward Bertulis, 87, died in the collision. Bertulis was traveling back from visiting his wife’s grave when he was killed. Chris Berman is a longtime ESPN reporter.
According to police reports, Katherine was speeding and failed to break when she rear-ended Bertulis’ vehicle. The road on which the crash took place had a speed limit of 45 miles per hour, but an accident reconstruction indicated that Katherine was driving at around 82 miles per hour at the time. Bertulis was only moving at about 30 miles per hour.
Bertulis’ family sued the restaurant that Katherine was drinking at prior to the crash. Katherine’s blood alcohol level was .26 percent. In Connecticut, as in every state, the legal limit is .08 percent. Reports indicate that other drugs were also found in Katherine’s system, including anti-depressants and oxycodone. According to Chris Berman, Katherine was being treated with medications following a minor back fracture.
While the rate of drunk driving related deaths have gone down over the years, driving under the influence of alcohol is still one of the leading causes of fatal car crashes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ** 29 people are killed in drunk driving crashes in the United States every day. In 2016, 28 percent of traffic-related fatalities were caused by individuals who were driving under the influence of alcohol. About 16 percent of accidents are caused by drugs other than alcohol. While 1 million people were arrested for driving under the influence, according to self-reporting of drink driving episodes, 111 million drunk driving episodes occurred in 2016.
* https://nypost.com/2018/08/28/bar-kept-serving-chris-bermans-wife-before-deadly-crash-suit/
** https://nypost.com/2018/08/28/bar-kept-serving-chris-bermans-wife-before-deadly-crash-suit/