Alabama residents who have ever been arrested and charged with a serious crime understand how scary this experience can be. Sometimes a person’s actions become part of accidents that leave them facing serious penalties that can last a lifetime.
Such is the case for one young man from Tennessee today. The 20-year-old man will be sentenced in early December for his alleged role in a motor vehicle accident in Huntsville in 2015. The defendant has reportedly pled guilty to multiple offenses including leaving an accident scene in which injury resulted, first-degree assault and manslaughter. If convicted, he could be required to pay up to $75,000 in fines and spend up to 50 years in prison. That would result in him spending the bulk of his adult life behind bars for one accident.
The man is said to have had a blood alcohol content seven times greater than the 0.08 percent legal limit for intoxication when his vehicle collided with that being driven by a 19-year-old Alabama woman. Her vehicle then reportedly hit another, injuring that driver. The 19-year-old woman died in the accident. No details are known about the condition of the defendant after the accident.
Clearly, the impact of a single accident can last a lifetime. Anyone charged with serious offenses and potentially long-lasting consequences after a vehicle crash may find it helpful to work with an attorney to learn how to approach and navigate the criminal defense process.
Source: The Times Free Press, “Tennessee man pleads in crash that killed Alabama teen,” Nov. 17, 2016
