In California, all DUIs are treated seriously, but a DUI that involves a fatality is perhaps the most serious accusation a person can face. Of the three ways that a prosecutor can choose to pursue a charge involving a fatal DUI accident, two are felonies. One of those charges is gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. It is charged when a driver is suspected of DUI, has violated another of California’s traffic laws, acted in a way that was willfully negligent, and those actions led to the death of another person. This is a felony charge that can end in a prison sentence of up to ten years.
ABC 10 reports that the driver who crashed into a Rancho Cordova home has been arrested on manslaughter charges. The crash happened at about 4:40 p.m. on Georgetown Drive in Rancho Cordova.
According to investigators, 45-year-old Gary Circle crashed into the home where residents had gathered for a football game. At the time of the crash, there were children aged 4 and 12 in the vehicle with Circle.
One person inside the home was killed and two other people were injured. Their names have not been released.
Two victims were rescued from under the wall that the vehicle crashed into. They suffered from serious injuries and were taken to local hospitals.
Circle was booked into the Sacramento County Jail and is facing charges of gross vehicular manslaughter, DUI, and other felony charges. His bond was set as $1 million.
