Man Tells Police To “Chill” After Striking, Killing Pedestrian
A Florida man is facing charges for an accident that took the life of a father of four. Police say the man was drunk at the time of the accident. Police contend that the defendant was driving a 2018 BMW X2 when he struck a pedestrian and fled the scene of the accident. When police caught up with the defendant, he told them to, “Chill” because he was “just intoxicated”. The defendant’s blood was tested at the hospital where they determined his BAC was .244, more than three times the legal limit.
According to the defendant’s girlfriend, she tracked his cellphone to a bar, but when she tried to confront the defendant, he drove away at a high rate of speed. The defendant’s speed was estimated at between 109 and 117 mph at the time of the crash. Video surveillance shows the vehicle attempting to go over a median for some reason, when the car hit a pedestrian who was attempting to cross the road.
The defendant will face an entire litany of charges related to DUI, vehicular homicide, DUI manslaughter, reckless driving, fleeing the scene of an accident involving a death, driving on a suspended license, and whatever else they can think of that fits.
Defending these charges
The police have everything they need to stick the defendant with a life sentence. The statutory maximums for vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter are 14 years a piece, not including the various other offenses and aggravating factors. Data pulled from the defendant’s car showed that he was driving more than twice the legal limit in the area (which is 45). It wasn’t even apparent what the driver was attempting to accomplish by driving up on the median. Had he been successful, he would have been driving in the opposite direction of oncoming traffic. He then fled the scene of the accident, which will add more years to his sentence. Plus, video surveillance shows the defendant’s car hitting the pedestrian and chemical tests show that the defendant was more than triple the legal limit.
When the charges against a defendant are this severe, it behooves the defense attorney to remind the court that this person has ties to the community, people who care about him, an otherwise clean record, gainful employment, and a family that depends on him. This helps contextualize the defendant’s actions against the life he normally lives. In cases where alcohol or drug abuse is a factor, sometimes judges will see fit to give mental health sentences. However, mental health sentences are rare in cases where there is a death. Mental health defenses can, in some cases, influence the judge to afford the defendant a shorter sentence.
Talk to an Orlando DUI Attorney Today
If you’re facing DUI charges in Orlando, don’t think that you can go it alone. You need a seasoned Florida DUI defense attorney to ensure that you negotiate the best possible resolution to your case. Call FL DUI Group today to learn more about how we can help.
Resource:
clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/06/09/chill-im-just-intoxicated-florida-dui-suspect-says-after-hitting-killing-pedestrian-police-say/