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.
A 31-year-old man in another state was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a fatal DUI accident. The driver, who pled no contest to DUI charges, also had his driver's license revoked for 15 years.
The driver had been released from jail on another DUI offense and less than five hours later was involved in the accident that killed a 22-year-old woman. Forensic accident reconstruction indicated that the driver's truck crossed a highway center line before striking the woman's car head-on. According to the police report the driver's BAC at the time of the crash was 0.158, nearly twice the legal limit.
The DUI driver had two prior DUI convictions and had served seven days in jail. He had also been arrested for willful reckless driving twice, driving with a suspended license three times, and leaving the scene of an accident.
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.