The San Mateo Daily Journal reports on a man facing vehicular manslaughter charges in a DUI accident that killed his mother. Aren Tarkovskiy, 34, was allegedly traveling to his home in Los Gatos on October 21st when he was involved in a multi-vehicle accident. Just west of Interstate 280, Tarkovskiy crossed the yellow line and drifted into oncoming traffic. This is when, according to prosecutors, Tarkovskiy crashed into a Honda CR-V heading eastbound head-on. After, he crashed into a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix and a 2003 Volvo SUV.
The call regarding the accident was received by first responders at 8:44 p.m. Tarkovskiy had to be extricated from the vehicle. His mother, 70-year-old Saida Magomedova, died at the scene. The other drivers did not have any major injuries.
Despite police stating that there was a strong odor of alcohol on Tarkovskiy and he was slurring his speech, authorities were unable to conduct a blood-alcohol breath test until three hours after the accident. At that time, it registered at .09. The results of a blood test are pending.
On Tuesday, Tarkovskiy was charged with vehicular manslaughter and causing injury to others while driving under the influence of alcohol. He has a previous DUI conviction from 2012 but was not on probation at the time of the accident. He did not enter a plea.
Tarkovskiy is due in court next on November 7th and is being held on $325,000 bail.
Under California law, the charges of vehicular manslaughter can be charged either as a felony or a misdemeanor. If a person was driving erratically and with disregard for traffic laws, the charge may be applied as a felony by the prosecution. If a person is also charged with a DUI in addition to the vehicular manslaughter charges, the charge may also be a felony. A person’s previous criminal history, if any, will also be considered when deciding to charge vehicular manslaughter as a felony or a misdemeanor.
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