A Georgia man was recently booked in the Shreveport City Jail on a charge of Vehicular Homicide, according to news and police reports. Shreveport Police arrived at 10:45 pm on Saturday, April 29th to find an unidentified white male dead at the scene. The driver of the 2012 GMC Terrain remained on the scene after hitting the subject in his motor vehicle while the victim was trying to cross the street. The driver of the vehicle claims that the victim was wearing dark clothing and there was very poor lighting on the already-dark street. It was later discovered through state mandatory chemical testing that the driver was over the legal limit for intoxication.
This is a tragic situation that could have been avoided and will become even more complicated for the driver of the vehicle since he was determined to be intoxicated at the time of the accident. The motorist will now face a strong possibility of conviction for his involvement in the drunk driving accident, which may result in decades behind bars for a mistake that cost another man his life.
A criminal defense lawyer in Shreveport would be able to investigate the evidence of the accident to understand what the full breadth of liability rests on the driver or any other parties involved. It may be possible that there was an obstruction that prevented the driver from seeing the pedestrian, or there may be video evidence from a nearby surveillance camera that could show another story with regard to the accident details or timeline. Perhaps the chemical test performed by the police was not conducted properly or in accordance with state policy.
Night driving is a leading factor in car accidents, where more than 40% of all vehicle-related accidents occur during the nighttime hours. Here are some tips to avoid accidents while driving late at night:
- Make sure to allow for enough distance to stop, with increased distance to account for delayed reaction times.
- Keep your windshield and windows clean so they don’t obstruct your vision of any persons or obstacles in the roadway.
- Keep your headlights on and clean to provide ample lighting for nighttime driving.
- Limit any distractions within the vehicle, including music or conversations with passengers that detract from your attention on the road.
