Whenever you’re in an accident, there are certain actions you must take. Stay at the scene, help the injured if you can, and call the authorities to give a report. These are simple actions. But drunk drivers often forget to do these and tack on extra penalties to a dangerous situation.
A story from the Lost Coast Outpost from North California demonstrates what can happen when these instructions aren’t followed. A man is potentially facing life in prison for killing a 16-year-old girl while driving under the influence.
The girl was hit and pinned underneath the truck of the driver. Two other teens were witnesses to the crash. According to court testimony, it was raining heavily that day and the truck had bald tires. This caused the truck to go out of control and crash into the three teens before hitting a utility pole. The witnesses were able to get out of the way.
The driver got out of the truck and tried to pull the girl out from under the tire, but couldn’t. Then the driver tried to get back into the truck and pull backward. One of the witnesses restrained the driver because he thought the driver was going to try to flee the scene.
When police arrived, they administered a field sobriety test. The driver failed it and was arrested. A blood test at the hospital put the driver’s BAC at 0.19. Due to a prior wet reckless charge, the prosecution is pursuing a murder charge. They are also pursuing a vehicular manslaughter charge as an alternate theory.
The arraignment will happen on the 28th of February.
Have you been accused of DUI? Do you live in the Los Angeles area? You need someone to stand by your side. Contact our legal team today for a free consultation.
