According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DUI accident fatalities increased from 9,865 in 2011 to 10,322 in 2013. The NHTSA reported that the majority of DUI accidents with fatalities involved drivers whose blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.15 percent or higher, or almost twice the legal limit. 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.
An 18-year-old man in another state was driving drunk when he crashed his truck and killed his passenger, a college volleyball star. The driver, who graduated from high school two days before the accident, was leaving a party when the early morning accident occurred. He lost control of the truck, causing it to strike a guardrail and then a tree. It spun 180 degrees and stopped in the traffic lane facing the wrong direction. No other cars were involved in the accident.
The driver waited for emergency personnel but fled on foot before police could arrive. He was located a short time later and arrested.
The passenger, a junior volleyball player who was set to be a co-captain on her university's team, suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI) and died in the hospital.
The driver faces charges of homicide by vehicle, accident involving death or injury, DUI, possessing and consuming alcohol while underage, driving on the wrong side of the road, careless driving and driving at an unsafe speed. According to police reports he had a BAC of 0.11 percent.
Georgia has a zero tolerance law for underage drinking and driving. Though the illegal blood alcohol content (BAC) for drivers over 21 years old is 0.08 percent, drivers under 21 can be charged with DUI with a BAC of 0.02 percent. Teen drivers can be charged with DUI in a minor accident if a chemical test indicates that they have a small amount of alcohol in their system.
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?
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. You should hire an experienced Clayton County wrongful death attorney if you will file a lawsuit on behalf of a family member who died due to another's negligence. Call Shane Smith Law for a free consultation.