Local Teacher Killed in Douglasville Wreck

Douglas County

Douglasville, Ga. – A beloved high school teacher was killed in a motor vehicle accident in Douglas County this past week.

According to reports, the teacher was riding his motorcycle when on GA 92 when he was struck by a truck towing an enclosed trailer. The driver was arrested on charges of vehicular homicide and failure to yield while turning left.

As a Douglas County DUI Lawyer, I will outline the most serious of the charges in today's post – vehicular homicide. This charge is often seen in conjunction with cases involving DUI in Douglas County. Read below.

Vehicular Homicide

O.C.G.A. §40-6-393 defines vehicular homicide in two different degrees.

First degree vehicular homicide is defined as:

A person will be charged with homicide by vehicle in the first degree when, without malice aforethought, a death is caused by the person either unlawfully passing a school bus, reckless driving, fleeing or attempting to elude a police office, or leaving the scene of the accident. 

Second degree vehicular homicide is defined as:

A person will be charged with homicide by vehicle in the second degree when death results due to a violation of any other statute other than the ones specified for homicide in the first degree. 

Second degree vehicular homicide is also referred to as misdemeanor-grade vehicular homicide. This happens when a death is the result of a violation of basic traffic laws. Conviction of a misdemeanor vehicular homicide charge may warrant a sentence from a Georgia judge up to one year.

First degree vehicular homicide is also referred to as felony-grade vehicular homicide. This type of charge occurs when a death is the result of DUI or reckless driving. Convictions of felony-grade vehicular homicide may warrant up to 15 years in prison.

Practice Note

If you or a loved one has been arrested for DUI, contact our offices today. We can help you with your case immediately.