Texas teen on trial for girl’s death in crash
Cars and pickup trucks in Texas may both be motor vehicles, but the weight and size of a pickup truck, could create devastating consequences even in a one-car accident. Pickup trucks and other small trucks can weigh more than a four-door sedan and some have more of a tendency to rollover.
Texas police reported that a trial is underway for a 19-year-old man who allegedly drove while intoxicated and caused an accident, which killed a 17-year-old girl. The girl was riding in the backseat of the man’s pickup truck. The accident happened as the man was speeding down on a county road in 2012.
According to police, the man was driving drunk and had hydrocodone in his system. His pickup truck careened off the road and hit multiple trees until the truck rolled over. It came to a stop upside down. The 17-year-old girl died at the scene. The man was charged with intoxicated manslaughter. When police investigated the incident, they took a blood sample from the man.
A second-degree felony in Texas, intoxicated manslaughter could carry a sentence of two to 20 years in jail. The man asked for a much lesser sentence of probation if he is found guilty.
Driving drunk is one of the worst types of driver misconduct. Not only do drunk drivers risk serious harm to themselves, but to everyone in the vehicle with them. Even though the man in this situation is on trial for intoxicated manslaughter, a wrongful death claim from the woman’s family may be brought against him. Wrongful death claims are based on deaths caused by the negligence or recklessness of someone else.
Source: oureasttexas.com, “19 Year Old Man on Trial for Intoxicated Manslaughter” No author given, Feb. 12, 2014