Denver Vehicular Homicide Lawyer

About Vehicular Manslaughter Charges

When law enforcement officers arrive at the scene of a fatal car accident and discover that one of the drivers was under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or both at the time of the accident, they will typically make the assumption that it was that driver who was at fault for causing the crash.

While this may be a correct assumption in some cases, it is not always true. Even if the suspect was in violation of the law against driving under the influence (DUI), he or she may not have been responsible for causing the collision. There is also the possibility that the officers made an error in the investigation, and the suspect was not actually driving under the influence.

Sentence for Vehicular Manslaughter in Denver

Public advocacy organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) reports that Colorado has the 8th-highest rate of fatal DUI accidents in the United States. More than one third (36 percent) of all traffic collisions statewide involve drivers who had been drinking. In light of such statistics, it is not surprising to learn that the criminal penalties for vehicular manslaughter are severe. If you are accused of causing a traffic death by driving recklessly, you can be charged with a Class 4 felony and sentenced to up 6 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.

If, however, you are charged with causing the accident while driving drunk, the charge will be a Class 3 felony, with a maximum sentence of $750,000 in fines and 12 years in state prison. In addition to the criminal penalties, your driver's license will be revoked for a full year, and then you will have to make your case for getting back behind the wheel at a reinstatement hearing.

Further, you will almost certainly end up paying far more for your car insurance, or your police may even be cancelled on the grounds that you are seen to be a major risk for causing an accident. Don't take chances with the outcome of your case. Let me fight for you as your criminal defense lawyer.