Hit And Run Driver Is Sentenced To 15 Years Behind Bars
Jul 1, 2009 Auto & Car Crashes, Drunk Driving, Pedestrian Accidents, Personal Injury
In February of this year, a tragic hit and run accident occurred in Cathedral City, California near Los Angeles. An 18-year old woman who was pregnant with her first child was viciously hit by a driver who, following the accident, fled from the scene of the crime. The woman who hit her has now been sentenced to spend the next 15 years in a state prison for gross vehicular manslaughter. In addition, the woman also plead guilty to driving her vehicle that day under the influence of both drugs and alcohol. She has been charged with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol previously, nearly thirteen years before she caused the death of this soon-to-be mother.
The family members of the victim are glad to see that justice is being served to a certain extent, but are still not satisfied with the result of the trial. They feel that the court took into account the death of the young woman, but not the death of her unborn child. Her baby, who was only a week away from being delivered into his mother’s arms, was never allowed a chance at life because of the negligence and reckless behavior of the motorist that killed this pregnant woman. In addition to taking the life of this young woman and snuffing out the potential life of her unborn child, the motorist fled from the scene of the crime with no apparent intention of confessing her part in the accident. As the details of the case unfold, it is clear to see why the victim’s family is not satisfied with a mere 15-year sentence in state prison.
Wrongful death claims are complex because of the many details typically involved in the fatal accident. In this case, for example, the motorist who killed the woman and her unborn child is the wife of someone who works in the office of the District Attorney. According to some speculation, the woman has received a break because of her husband’s powerful connections. This possibility is understandably unfair to the family members of the victim who have lost a daughter and a soon-to-be grandchild. They will never again enjoy the company and love of their child, nor the wonderful memories that could have been created over a lifetime with her baby.
If you have a family member who was a victim of wrongful death, don’t hesitate to contact a Los Angeles personal injury attorney. Because the court proceedings for wrongful death claims are often complex, you should seek the counsel of one of these lawyers in order to increase your chances for compensation. Although monetary compensation cannot bring a loved one back from the dead, it can help you and your family cover expensive medical costs that could have been incurred before their passing, as well as the expensive funeral costs that came without notice or warning. You don’t have to handle these expenses on your own, especially if the responsibility for the death of your loved one belongs to another party.
Tags: Auto Accidents, Car Accidents, Drunk Driving, Hit and Run Accident, Personal Injury
Porterville Drunk Driver Kills Person In Hit And Run Incident
Jun 30, 2009 Auto & Car Crashes
A little over a month ago in Porterville, California, a motorcyclist was killed when he encountered a drunk driver on the road ahead of him. The 48-year old man who was driving the motorcycle was, as far as police can tell, obeying all traffic laws, including the speed limit, when a drunk driver pulled in front of him and caused the fatal accident. The 23-year old drunk driver was in a car that recklessly turned in front of the motorcycle at the last minute. The motorcyclist did not have time to react and hit the car, resulting in the accident. The motorcyclist was not killed instantly, but died a short time later. Rather than stop to help the victim of the accident, the drunk driver of the other vehicle drove away, leaving the injured man to suffer alone in the street.
The driver of the vehicle was later apprehended by police officers, and it became apparent why he had fled the scene of his crime. The man was not a licensed driver and was determined to have been drunk at the time of the accident. To the disappointment of the family members of the fatal victim, the drunk driver has only been sentenced to one year in jail for the accident he caused. Following his stay in jail, the man will be required to pay for and attend a substance abuse treatment program and will not be allowed to leave the state of California for a certain period of time. This, however, still leaves the family of the victim feeling unjustified in the death of their loved one.
Perhaps the most significant and distressing aspect of this accident is that the man who died was not doing anything wrong. He was driving safely and according to all traffic laws, and it was only by the reckless behavior and negligence of another person that he was injured and killed. The drunk driver in the vehicle that caused the accident, in contrast, was going too fast and driving completely recklessly while under the influence, yet he sustained no serious injuries of any kind and received a proverbial slap on the wrist in court with a mere one year sentence in jail. His stay in jail will also not satisfy the financial demands that have likely been placed on the victim’s family as they’ve faced the heavy expenses that are unavoidable in funeral arrangements.
If you have a family member that has been seriously injured or killed by a drunk driver, you should get a personal injury attorney. Los Angeles Personal injury attorneys help the family members of victims receive monetary compensation for the pain and suffering they’ve been forced to endure. In this instance, the 48-year old man had a wife and children that relied on him to be the breadwinner of their family. He also left behind parents and siblings that are likely helping to pay for his funeral expenses. The loss of income that his family is likely experiencing and the expensive funeral arrangements that they’ve already been required to pay were the direct fault of the Los Angeles drunk driving accident lawyer who caused his death, and should therefore be paid by him.
Car Accident in Modesto Killed Thirty-One Year Old Man
Jun 30, 2009 Auto & Car Crashes, Personal Injury
A fatal car accident occurred early on Saturday morning in Modesto, California. A twenty year old man was speeding down Highway 99 in Modesto when he struck another vehicle that was going the speed limit. The other vehicle was a pickup truck and, as many pickups do when hit with such powerful force, the vehicle rolled, killing the thirty-one year driver within. The victim was not even able to survive long enough to make it to the hospital. His injuries were so severe that he was pronounced dead at the scene of the car crash. Police state that at this point, it is not believed that drugs or alcohol played a part in the man’s reckless driving. He was simply in a hurry to get to wherever he was going.
Although the details of the driver and his victim have not yet been released, there is no doubt that the man who was killed has left behind family and friends who will miss him dearly. Because of the youth’s reckless behavior on the road, another man was killed without warning and without a chance for him to say goodbye to those he loved most. The biggest tragedy in this incident is that the victim was not breaking any rules or any laws. Unlike the driver that killed him, he was going the speed limit and driving as a responsible citizen should. The motorist who caused the rollover accident, on the other hand, was using all three lanes of the highway to pass other vehicles that he felt were going too slow. His rush to get to wherever he was going cost so much more than just a speeding ticket would have. As the man waits in a local county jail for an upcoming trial, he is undoubtedly learning that it doesn’t pay to speed. In contrast, it has cost his victim everything.
Car accidents are one of the leading causes of death in the United States and particularly in California. In a state where there are more freeways in any one city than there are in many other states as a whole, car crashes are prevalent and cause serious injury and death on a regular basis. For accidents that result in both serious injury and wrongful death, California personal injury lawyers are there to help victims and their families get the compensation they need to survive. The man who was killed in the accident caused by a reckless young man speeding down Highway 99 has likely left behind a family who is unable to pay for the expensive funeral costs on their own. Although petitioning for monetary compensation from the young man who caused the accident won’t bring this man back to his family, it could greatly ease that family’s financial burden as they determine how they are going to cover the victim’s funeral costs. For serious injury and wrongful death cases, don’t rely on criminal charges alone to satisfy your claim on justice. Monetary compensation can ease your financial stress so that you can your remaining family members can grieve over the loved one you’ve lost.
