According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2,597 people were killed in United States traffic accidents in December 2010. Of those, 775 deaths involved alcohol-impaired drivers. A 2006 study by the NHTSA estimated that there is one drunk driving fatality in the United States every 30 minutes.
Georgia's Driving Under the Influence Laws are complex. Georgia DUI injury attorney Shane Smith can sort through the intermingled laws that potentially create complications in a DUI case.
A Georgia pastor was killed and his wife was seriously injured by a DUI driver as they left their church. The couple had just been honored for their 23 years of service at the Baptist church.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, a 47-year-old female drunk driver crossed the center line on a highway and struck the pastor's car head-on. She was charged with first-degree vehicular homicide and drunk driving.
If a death is caused by the negligence of another then the decedent's family may be entitled to legal relief through a wrongful death lawsuit. If the investigation proves that negligence on the part of the driver was responsible for the pedestrian's death then there may be grounds for the victim's family to file a wrongful death claim.
If you have questions about Georgia DUI laws, get the answers in Clayton County DUI injury attorney Shane Smith's book, I Was Hit By a Drunk Driver: What Do I Do Next? Contact Shane Smith Law to schedule a free legal consultation.