Facing criminal charges means having much at stake. In addition to the uncertainty the future holds, there is also the potential damage to one’s personal and professional lives, especially if the person in question works as a public servant. One Louisiana man is likely dealing with these issues following an accident that resulted in charges of vehicular homicide.
Until recently, the 22-year-old man had been an officer on the local police force. Just after 1 a.m. on a recent Saturday, he was driving his pickup truck along a main road when he hit the back of a bicycle operated by a 34-year-old man. Investigators believe the bicyclist was heading to a nearby casino where his wife was waiting. The former officer stopped and rendered aid, attempting CPR, but the bicyclist was already deceased.
The driver of the truck says the biker was riding left of the shoulder line in the traffic lane, and the officer was unable to avoid a collision by the time he saw the bike in front of him. Officers on the scene say the driver had alcoholic beverages in the truck with him. They arrested him and charged him with driving while intoxicated and vehicular manslaughter.
There is certainly no happy ending for this tragic accident. While the family of the Louisiana bicyclist mourns, the driver of the truck now has a future filled with questions. If convicted of vehicular manslaughter, he may face many years in prison, heavy fines and years of parole, as well as having a conviction on his record for the rest of his life. Anyone facing serious charges such as these would do well to seek the advice of a skilled criminal attorney.
