Broward DUI Lawyer Blog

A Boynton Beach man who caused a DUI wreck that killed a 23-year-old and then fled to Central America was sentenced to 20 years in prison recently, The Palm Beach Post reports.

DUI manslaughter in West Palm Beach is the most serious charge that can be imposed on a defendant, as it carries a possible 15-year prison sentence.

For a charge as serious as that, an experienced and aggressive West Palm Beach DUI defense lawyer must be called in to defend the suspect. There are many defenses that can be employed by an attorney who has decades of experience handling these types of cases.

In an accident in which a person is killed, investigators will automatically look for signs of impairment by the driver. But what they sometimes miss is checking the victim's alcohol level. It's often possible that the person who was killed was the one who was impaired or whose actions caused the accident.

It's also possible, depending on the facts of the case, that officers didn't thoroughly investigate the scene. Accident reconstruction experts who are trained in what police do to re-create a scene can be hired by the defense to dispute information that police and prosecutors attempt to introduce as fact.

In this case, the defendant was scheduled to enter a guilty plea after being free on bond with an ankle bracelet. The Palm Beach Post reports that he cut the ankle bracelet that monitored his movements a month before the plea date was scheduled and flew to Belize, where he was tracked down by U.S. Marshals.

He was responsible for driving his Jaguar north in the southbound lanes of Interstate 95, causing an SUV to swerve and overturn to avoid hitting his vehicle. Three passengers in the vehicle were ejected. One died and the two others were seriously injured.

The newspaper reports the man had a blood-alcohol level of 0.144, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08. He also had trace levels of cocaine in his system.

Family and friends say he was a once-successful businessman who had worked for IBM and created a business of his own. He helped a woman emigrate from China at the age of 16 to work for his company. She cried as she told the judge she let him down by not doing more to curtail his drug and alcohol use after a bad divorce.

These cases are always tragic, not only for the victim and his or her family, but also for defendants who find themselves in a position of facing decades in prison for a crime they didn't seek to commit. They often find themselves shocked that they are in a position to beg for mercy in order to avoid spending time in prison for a one-time mistake.

These cases are high in emotion and must have a level-headed defense attorney involved. A good West Palm Beach lawyer will see the case based on its facts, and carefully examine the prosecution's version of events that may be disputed. A person whose life and liberty are on the line deserves no less.