Florida Man to be Sentenced on DUI Death

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on August 25, 2015

In July of 2014, 45-year-old Elizabeth Braly was taking an evening walk with her son at Daytona Beach. She was joined by her daughter-in-law and another couple the family had met while on vacation from North Carolina. At the same time, 36-year-old Shawn Patrick Doolan was driving a 2002 Nissan Maxima on Dunlawton Boulevard.

Doolan was observed to be driving at a high rate of speed and turned on to the beach-access ramp near Atlantic Avenue. He crashed through a gate and drove out onto the beach. Once on the beach, he kept driving. Braly was walking on the beach and was first clipped by the vehicle and then ran over. According to various reports, she was killed instantly.

Braly’s son opened the passenger door of the Nissan and immediately pulled the keys from the ignition. He then observed Doolan in the driver’s seat, who had the "obvious odor of an alcoholic beverage".

The Florida Highway Patrol arrived at the scene. An officer observed that Doolan’s eyes were bloodshot and glassy. The officer said Doolan’s speech was slurred and he had trouble paying attention. When Doolan performed a field sobriety test, the officer reported that Doolan could not follow a pen with his eyes or walk straight, obvious sign that the man had been drinking.

The officer ordered blood drawn from Doolan, and he was arrested and charged with felony DUI manslaughter and two misdemeanor counts of DUI property damage. His bond was set at $10,000 for the felony count.

Doolan works as a driver for hazardous materials and posted the bond shortly after he was arrested. Some of Braly’s family expressed displeasure with the $10,000 bond, the lowest allowed by law, given the severity of the charges.

Braly is the mother of seven and had been in Florida for a son’s baseball tournament.

Doolan is scheduled to be sentenced in November.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Florida motor vehicle accident, contact the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham, P.A. immediately at 877-FL-INJURY (877-354-6587) for a free initial consultation.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.