On June 16, 2007, Heather Dison was driving a 2006 GMC pickup truck against traffic when she caused a head-on collision with a Cadillac coupe in Dade City, Florida. Another vehicle swerved to avoid collision, but hit a pole and overturned. The driver of the Cadillac, Jason Hamilton, died at the scene, and his passenger as well as the driver and four passengers in the overturned vehicle were injured.
Dison had a previous DUI conviction in 1995 and did not have a deal with prosecutors. Though she faced up to 20 years in prison after a guilty plead to DUI Manslaughter charges and related DUI charges, Dison, 35, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after Circuit Judge Pat Siracusa took her previous DUI conviction into account, stating she should have learned back then, but didn't.
Jason Hamilton's fiancee was three months pregnant with his child when the accident occurred. His fiancee was in the car ahead of him when the collision occurred, and held his body in the road until help arrived. Hamilton's mother attempted to speak at the hearing, but was too emotional and couldn't.
Dison plead for leniency, as her 12-year-old daughter keeps threatening to run away. Dison just wants to get her daughter through high school. It's reported that Dison was out drinking after being upset about the death of her other daughter who had passed away in 2005. The judge ruled that Dison's living daughter's needs were a compelling enough reason for a lighter sentence.
Dison was out drinking and asked an acquaintance to driver her home, but somehow, they ended up with Dison behind the wheel. Dison follows Jason Hamilton's Myspace page and is remorseful for what happened.
"I miss Jason even though I didn't know him," she said in court Tuesday, tearfully reading a letter she wrote to Hamilton's loved ones. "I think he was a wonderful person. I wish his family still had him."
Fort Lauderdale DUI lawyer Carlos Canet, P.A. is experienced in Florida DUI defense. If you have been charged with DUI in south Florida, call 866-7ASKDUI to speak to an experienced DUI lawyer with offices in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.
If you visit the Law Office of Carlos A. Canet to discuss your Florida DUI or other serious traffic offense case that occurred anywhere in South Florida, whether in Miami-Dade County, Broward County or Palm Beach County, you meet with Mr. Canet. He is the attorney who will answer all your questions and handle your case from beginning to end.
