A Lake Worth teenager was recently arrested and charged with two counts each of DUI manslaughter, two counts of vehicular homicide and one count each of causing or contributing to serious bodily injury while under the influence, and causing or contributing to injury to person or property while under the influence, The Palm Beach Post reports.
DUI manslaughter charges in Fort Lauderdale are punishable by up to 15 years in prison per count. Same with vehicular homicide. And juveniles charged with DUI-related crimes face challenges because a conviction can sometimes disqualify teens from scholarships, college admission, jobs and other benefits. Hiring an experienced Fort Lauderdale DUI Defense Lawyer is critical to making sure a person is properly defended in court.
The 18-year-old facing the charges is being held on $25,000 bond, with the option of supervised release, The Palm Beach Post reports. The charges related to a February accident along Lake Osborne Road in West Palm Beach when the driver allegedly lost control of his Ford F-150 truck and crashed into a tree. Two other teens were killed and a third injured.
A fourth passenger, along with the driver, was not hurt. The driver told the newspaper after the crash he had consumed just one beer and was driving friends home at the time. The road was wet, the newspaper reports.
If he makes bond, the defendant must not possess or consume alcohol, illegal drugs or prescription drugs without a prescription, operate a motor vehicle, violate the law or go to a bar or liquor store.
What is evident is that even without a conviction, this defendant faces a laundry list of conditions just to be free before he even gets to trial. That's what often happens in cases of DUI manslaughter and sometimes other DUI-related felony charges.
What is also a trend in Florida courtrooms is prosecutors charging someone with both DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide. In this case, the defendant faces both charges for each person who died in the crash. This is possible because the state is allowed to present evidence to prove either crime in the hopes that one sticks with the jury.
The charges are somewhat different but both involve the death of a person by way of vehicle. The difference being that DUI manslaughter involves the use of alcohol above the state's .08 blood-alcohol content limit. Both charges are punishable by up to 15 years in a state prison and DUI manslaughter requires at least four years in prison, upon conviction.
So, fighting these charges aggressively, by challenging eye witness accounts, re-creating the scene and hiring experts to examine and testify on behalf of the client, digging into field sobriety or breath testing results and other areas are all things that go into defending a client facing these charges.
The first step is not to make any statements to officers or anyone else if you are facing these types of charges or are being investigated. While some people think that's an admission of guilt, it isn't. That is exercising your rights. Consult with Fort Lauderdale DUI Lawyers before doing anything, so we can help you in defense of these charges.
If you, a loved one or family member are arrested and charged with DUI in West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale or Miami, contact Fort Lauderdale DUI Lawyers today at 1-866-7ASKDUI to discuss your rights.
More Blog Entries:
Guardado vs. Florida Shows Importance of Trial and Appellate DUI Attorney: June 2, 2011
Death of Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office worker in DUI Accident Requires Aggressive Defense: May 12, 2011
Additional Resources:
Bond set for Lake Worth teen charged in crash that killed two passengers, by Cynthia Roldan and Julius Whigham II
