A Texas woman will spend the next several decades in jail for driving drunk and causing the fatal accident that took the lives of four members of a single family.

The 40-year-old woman had previously pleaded guilty to four charges of murder for her actions on the night of the drunk driving accident that killed the four victims. Last week, a Texas judge sentenced the defendant to four 55-year jail sentences, which she will serve concurrently. She must serve at least half of her sentence before she will be eligible for parole or early release.

The fatal accident took place in August 2010. According to court documents, the defendant was driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.11 percent, well over the legal limit, when she ran a red light. A nearby officer saw her run the red light and began to pursue her.

The defendant sped up in an effort to evade the police officer. She ran a stop sign and collided with a minivan carrying three generations of one family: a 55-year-old woman, her 21- and 15-year-old daughters, and the 21-year-old's infant son. The minivan was sent into a utility pole at a high speed, causing all four occupants of the vehicle to suffer fatal injuries.

Initially, the defendant was charged with intoxication manslaughter. Because the fatalities occurred while she was evading arrest, which is a felony, the charges were enhanced to murder.

It is not known whether the husband, father and grandfather of the victims will file a personal injury lawsuit against the woman that caused the deaths of four members of his family.

Source: Houston Chronicle, "Drunken driver gets 55 years for quadruple murder," Craig Kapitan, Jan. 24, 2012