Last year I blogged about a tragic case that took the lives of 5 people on Easter Sunday. The suspect in the case left the scene of the horrific accident and her family assisted her in covering it up. This week, the woman at fault and her mother were both sentenced in Fulton County Court, hopefully providing some closure to the family of the victims.
The accident happened on Easter Sunday in 2009. The suspect was driving to get ice cream and hit a Mercedes with her BMW. That vehicle hit a Volkswagen.
The family of four in the Mercedes, including mother, father, infant son, and 9 year old daughter were killed. Another child died in the Volkswagen. The Fulton County woman drove her BMW home and parked it in the driveway.
The police didn’t find the vehicle, which had been repaired, for 10 days. But when they did, they took the young woman into custody and soon after both her and her mother were facing charges.
The defendant in this case is 22 years old now. No doubt her mother thought she was doing her daughter a favor by protecting her and keeping her out of jail. Now, they’ll both be spending some serious time behind bars.
The mother received an 8 year prison sentence for tampering with evidence and hindering the investigation. The daughter was found guilty of homicide by vehicle in the first degree, hit and run, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane, tampering with evidence, and serious injury by vehicle. Her sentence was 36 years in prison and 14 years probation.
This is an extreme hit & run case. Most only involve property damage and often happen when no one is in the other vehicle. Obviously, the more damage that is done, the more serious the charges are.
Under Georgia law the penalty you face is also dependant on your criminal record. For instance, a first time hit and run charge carries a sentence of up to 1 year in jail and $1,000 in fines. The fines are raised for a second and third offense with a mandatory $1,000 fine for the 3rd.
When you’re in an accident, you have a duty to remain at the scene. If no one else is around, you still must leave a note or make an effort to contact the driver of the other car. Jail time, fines, and losing your license are far worse than dealing with insurance companies and car repairs.
If you’re facing charges of hit & run and wondering what your options are, our attorneys can help. Contact us today to discuss your case.
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