Early morning accidents on Georgia roadways can be especially deadly. A recent fatal accident ended with a Georgia woman behind bars and charged with several crimes. The July 11 accident injured her passenger and took the life of a 42-year-old Georgia man who was driving a sports utility vehicle.
The 23-year-old woman was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and vehicular homicide in the first degree. She was also charged with failure to obey a traffic signal and serious injury caused by a vehicle. The 4:50 a.m. accident took place in Douglas County where Georgia Highway 92 meets a local road.
The fatal victim was headed south on Highway 92 when the woman’s car hit his vehicle. The westbound driver apparently did not obey a traffic device, according to an incident report by the Georgia State Patrol. Both vehicles overturned and landed on their tops. The driver of the SUV was partially ejected from his vehicle, and he died at the scene of the accident. A 23-year-old female passenger of the car was airlifted for treatment of her injuries at Grady Hospital.
The driver who is allegedly responsible for the fatal accident was arrested at the scene. The deceased victim’s family is entitled to pursue a claim for wrongful death by filing a lawsuit in a Georgia civil court. To prevail, the family must establish by appropriate proof that the driver was negligent in a manner that caused or contributed to the crash. If the criminal charges result in a conviction, proof of that may be sufficient to establish financial liability in a related civil court proceeding.
Source: Douglasville, GA Patch, “Douglasville Woman Charged in Fatal Wreck (ICYMI)“, Scott Bernarde, July 18, 2015
