A man was involved in a fatal crash in Tennessee recently. According to authorities, he was speeding when he failed to stop at a stop sign, which prompted him to collide with another vehicle. The man driving the second vehicle suffered serious injuries and unfortunately was pronounced dead on the scene. The first man has since been charged with vehicular homicide.

The man was apparently also injured in the accident, and upon being transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment, EMS personnel claimed that the man smelled of alcohol. Authorities reported that, based on the circumstances surrounding the accident, they had already suspected a DUI, therefore they instructed hospital personnel to draw blood for analysis. The results allegedly reflected that the man’s blood alcohol content was .30, or three times the legal limit.

Authorities have reportedly since added other charges against the man. The man has two prior DUI convictions, one in 2008 and one in 2011. In this current accident, the man was apparently illegally driving his vehicle, since his license had been suspended. Upon searching the man’s vehicle after the accident, authorities also allegedly found an open container of alcohol in it.

The man could likely be looking at his situation as a lost cause. Felony DUIs are very serious and carry a mandatory year of jail time, if not more. That, combined with a vehicular homicide charge, may seem hopeless. That simply is not true, however, since, as in any case, the man accused of these crimes is not guilty unless the prosecution proves its case against him. Tennessee law protects him and mandates that he receive a fair and just trial.

Source: stategazette.com, Man charged with 3rd DUI, vehicular homicide from July crash, No author, Dec. 4, 2013