Christmas and New Year sees a stepping up in police enforcement aimed at preventing intoxicated drivers. Additional patrols combined with a large number of holiday parties typically mean a spike in the number of drivers who are arrested for DUIs.
There is also often an increase in deaths and injuries caused by drivers who are under the influence. Recently, a 20-year-old driver was charged with intoxication manslaughter after he ran a red light and crashed into another driver, according to police.
The Dallas Morning News reported on how the alleged red light runner killed Taurean Babcock, 16, of Dallas.
Police believe around 1:15 a.m. on December 20, a driver “sped through a red light and struck another car that was traveling eastbound in the 1400 block of Camp Wisdom Road,” police spokesman Juan Fernandez stated in an email.
The driver of the other car died at the accident scene. Three passengers in the car suffered minor injuries after the impact.
The man who has been accused of causing the accident was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. He has been charged with intoxication manslaughter, Fernandez said.
In Texas, intoxication manslaughter is essentially drunk driving that leads to a death.
The offense is a second-degree felony carrying a potential prison term of 2-20 years. Although a defendant charged with intoxication manslaughter is eligible for probation, he or she must serve a minimum of 120 days in jail as a condition of that probation.
This is a very serious offense and hiring an experienced criminal attorney is essential. Like in DWI cases, our attorneys are diligent in filing motions to suppress if there was no probable cause to arrest the person for intoxicated manslaughter. “Probable cause” is a complex legal term best analyzed by lawyers experienced in search and seizure law.
Often if the judge determines that there was no probable cause to arrest the person, the charge may be dismissed or significantly reduced.
