Suwannee Police Chase Ends in Fatality

Suwannee Municipal Court

Suwannee, Ga. - According to reports out of Suwannee, a father was killed during a collision that resulted from a police chase. Police were chasing two individuals in a U-Haul truck that were accused of shoplifting from a local Walmart.

The U-Haul ended up hitting the man as he was walking into the store. He died at the scene of the accident. The two fled the scene. Police are still searching for the suspects.

As a Suwannee DUI Lawyer, I will focus on the crime of vehicular homicide in today's post. DUI in Suwannee is a predicate offense to vehicular homicide. And as you can see form the law below, there are many predicate offenses to the crime.

Vehicular Homicide

Georgia law O.C.G.A. §40-6-393 outlines the degrees of homicide by vehicle. 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. Homicide by vehicle in the second degree occurs when death results due to a violation of any other statute other than the ones specified for homicide in the first degree. 

First degree vehicular homicide is regarded as felony-grade vehicular homicide 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. 

In addition to penalties decided by a judge, the offender could also face a civil suit brought on by the victim's family. In a civil suit, the judge could award damages such as pain and suffering or loss of company to the victim's family. 

Furthermore, homicide by vehicle convictions can have long-term consequences. A felony conviction can make finding employment difficult as well as precluding the victim from practicing in certain professions such as teaching, the medical field, and other areas. The conviction will appear during background checks and can also affect obtaining housing or credit.

Practice Note

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