Vehicular Homicide
Vehicular Homicide
You will be charged with the Third Degree Felony of Homicide by Vehicle (Vehicular homicide) if you have been arrested for drunk driving (DUI/DWI) and you were involved in a fatal accident. The victim may have been a passenger inside your vehicle, a pedestrian struck by your vehicle or someone inside another vehicle involved in the accident. In other states, this same crime is called vehicular manslaughter or death by vehicle.
If a victim survives the accident, you may face the lesser charge of Great Bodily Harm by Vehicle (GBHV) as to that victim. Vehicular Homicide (VH) and Great Bodily Harm by Vehicle are both Third Degree Felony charges.
There are several defenses in these difficult and challenging criminal cases. One example is whether the driver’s action caused the accident as opposed to other factors such as the actions of the victim, road conditions, lighting, equipment failure or other factors. Each case is so dependent upon the facts that it is difficult to make any generalized statement in this internet page. Given the severity of the charge and the likelihood of prison time, every possible defense should be explored by the lawyer and possibly an accident reconstructionist.
