• 28
  • April
    2011

There are some situations in which individuals cause accidents, and they are so obviously at fault, that punishing them seems appropriate. In reality, however, there are very few accidents in Pennsylvania in which law officials know without a doubt who is at fault. Most accidents fall somewhere in a gray zone. Sadly, that does not stop the police from doling out criminal charges.

In one such accident, a 16-year-old boy was involved in a car accident when he was driving with his mom. His mom was killed in the accident, and the boy was awarded criminal traffic charges. Naturally, the boy's father is furious.

At his wife's funeral, the husband was asked how he felt toward his son. The father defended his son, saying his son was not at fault and that the accident could have happened to anyone. He even said that he wished that he had been driving, because his son was having such a hard time with the guilt.

Because they boy is only16, he will likely be charged in the juvenile system. At the time when news stories were released about the accident, the final charges were not available. However, the boy will likely face one of two charges. The boy could face charges for homicide by vehicle, which is a misdemeanor. If authorities think he was driving recklessly or drunk, he could face felony charges for vehicular homicide.

At the time of the accident, the boy and his mom were stopped to turn left. A large truck in oncoming traffic was also waiting to turn left. The size of the truck made it difficult for the boy to see other cars. When his mom told him it was safe to turn, he pulled into the intersection. A Mustang slammed into the passenger side of the car, and a pickup truck rear-ended the Mustang.

It will be interesting to see how the court rules in the teen's case. Hopefully the father's advocacy for his son coupled with the work of an experienced criminal defense attorney can help keep the boy's record clean.

Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Cobb police charge teen driver with mother's death," Katie Leslie and Rhonda Cook, 20 April 2011