According to a recent Philly.com article, a 23-year-old Delco woman is facing vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter, and DUI charges stemming from an accident last summer in which her 21-year-old male passenger died. The woman reportedly was driving west on Enterprise Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia in July 2012 when she drifted onto the shoulder of the street and slammed into a stopped tractor-trailer. The collision caused severe head and body trauma to her passenger, who died two days later at the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania.
As this case illustrates, what may be a simple case of DUI can quickly become a much more serious crime when severe injuries or death results from the incident. While many DUI cases never involve an accident or injury to anyone, some do, which can expose the intoxicated driver not only to civil liability, but also to multiple criminal charges with harsh and serious penalties that have the potential to negatively impact a person’s life for years to come. Pennsylvania DUI laws require judges to impose severe sentences on people who violate them. All too often, one bad decision can result in a felony conviction, incarceration, and a lifelong impact on one’s employment and career opportunities.
Steven E. Kellis has years of experience investigating, strategizing, and aggressively defending clients who have been accused of DUI and DUI-related offenses. In the past, fatalities arising from DUI accidents were charged as manslaughter or negligent homicide, which allowed probation to be a potential remedy. However, second-degree murder is now a possible charge in these types of cases, along with charges of vehicular homicide or manslaughter, which may result in a mandatory term of incarceration.
Given the seriousness of these potential charges, it is highly important that you engage the services of Mr. Kellis from the very outset of your case. By investigating your case and assessing the evidence against you, your Pennsylvania DUI attorney may be able to take steps to have the charges against you substantially reduced, or even dismissed altogether under some circumstances.
If you or a loved one has been charged with DUI or a DUI-related offense in Pennsylvania, contact The Law Offices of Steven E. Kellis for an initial case evaluation today.