Any car accident that involves loss of life is traumatic to all involved. When the accident that led to death involves DUI, the charges can quickly become very serious. There are three ways that the prosecutors can charge a person: vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, which can be either a felony or a misdemeanor. Next is gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, which is a felony. The third way is to charge the person with DUI murder, which is a felony second-degree murder charge. Any of these charges have very serious penalties, including jail time, probation, high fines and fees, as well as license suspension.
KTLA reports on a driver arrested for DUI after a bicyclist was struck and killed in Rialto. On Tuesday, June 11th, a driver was arrested on DUI charges after the incident. The incident occurred in the 3300 block of North Riverside Avenue. 32-year-old John Godinez was driving a silver Toyota Solara. He was driving at a high rate of speed northbound on Riverside Avenue. Near the intersection of Industrial Drive, he struck the bicyclist who was headed west on Industrial Drive, the preliminary report indicates.
At about 6:52 p.m., responding officers and paramedics discovered that the 32-year-old man was lying dead in the roadway. The bicyclist, who was unidentified, was pronounced dead at the scene. Godinez and a passenger in his vehicle suffered from minor injuries. They were transported to a hospital for treatment. Godinez was later arrested on a DUI charge and was booked into a Rancho Cucamonga Jail.
