A drunk driving accident is serious under any circumstances, even more so when an injury or the death of an innocent person is involved. In one recent Tennessee wreck, a passenger in a vehicle died after the driver crashed the vehicle. The driver now faces drunk driving and vehicular homicide charges due to the incident.
The driver of the vehicle was headed southbound on Interstate 240 in Memphis, Tennessee. The car spun around after he lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle then struck a tree, continued in a southerly direction and the hit another tree along the roadway before coming to a rest. Reportedly, the driver attempted to pull the passenger from the wreckage before help arrived at the scene. Despite that attempt and help from arriving first responders, the passenger in the wrecked car lost her life.
The injured driver was transported to a hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. A warrant was issued to obtain blood samples from him. Thereafter, he was arrested and charged with multiple offenses, including vehicular homicide.
A charge of vehicular homicide in connection with a drunk driving accident can lead to jail time and other significant penalties in the criminal court system. Before that can occur, however, prosecutors must actually prove the allegations by competent evidence in court. Any evidence, such as blood tests or a field sobriety test, must be obtained through lawful means and handled appropriately by all parties involved. Mishandling of evidence can essentially make it invalid before the court and, therefore, excluded from use at trial.
Source: wreg.com, "Intoxicated driver crashes car, killing passenger", Aug. 9, 2015