In many cases, driving-related offenses are not particularly serious. However, some offenses that involve driving can be very serious indeed. For example, if you are facing charges for aggravated vehicular homicide in New York, then it is critical to get a better understanding of the charges that you are being accused of, the consequences that you are facing and the steps that you can take to handle the situation.
What is Aggravated Vehicular Homicide?
Aggravated vehicular homicide is one of the three charges that a person can face after killing someone while driving while under the influence of alcohol. To be charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, you must have been involved in a vehicle accident while intoxicated that resulted in someone losing their life. However, there are other factors involved that elevate a case to aggravated vehicular homicide from some of the lower-level offenses that relate to similar circumstances.
For example, if you were driving under a suspended license — whether your license was suspended in New York State or another state — when you got into the accident, this could result in being charged with aggravated vehicular homicide. If your blood alcohol level was over .18, if you had a child who was under the age of 15 years old with you in the car at the time of the accident or if you have been convicted of a similar charge in the past, you might also face charges for aggravated vehicular homicide.
What is an Example of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide?
If you left a party after having too much to drink, ran a stop sign and crashed into another car, causing the death of another person, you could be charged with aggravated vehicular homicide if your blood-alcohol level was over a certain level at the time of the accident, if your license was suspended or if you had a child under the age of 15 in the car with you at the time.
What are the Possible Defenses for Aggravated Vehicular Homicide?
There are a few different ways that your attorney can fight to defend you if you are facing these charges. For example, one thing that many attorneys try to fight is the accusation that the defendant had a high blood-alcoholcontent at the time of the accident. Your lawyer could defend you by challenging that the test was not accurate or that the test was not administered correctly, for example.
What are the Consequences of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide?
If you are involved in a legal situation such as this one, you might already be dealing with a lot of guilt and suffering because of the loss of life in the accident. However, you also have to worry about the legal consequences that you are facing. For one thing, as with pretty much any charge that involves driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, your drivers license will be suspended or revoked if you are convicted.
However, the consequences of being convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide are much more serious than just a loss of your drivers license. If you are convicted of this class B felony, you could face a sentence of up to 25 years in prison. In many cases, defendants who are convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide also have to pay hefty fines.
What Can You Do if You’re Facing These Charges?
If you are facing charges for aggravated vehicular homicide, then you probably already understand that the situation is very serious because of the loss of life in the accident. However, you might not truly understand the legal consequences that you could be facing. Now is the time to seek legal representation for your case. Since you could be facing a maximum of 25 years in prison, hiring the right attorney to help you with your case can make the difference between freedom and spending many years behind bars.
