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Lafayette man charged with vehicular homicide, third-offense DWI

On Behalf of | Feb 12, 2015 | Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Residents of Lafayette, Louisiana, might remember a fatal motor vehicle accident case last month that killed a Lafayette woman. Reports stated that the accused, who was also from Lafayette, was allegedly operating his vehicle under the influence of alcohol and his SUV, after running a stop sign, crashed into the woman’s four-door car.

The fatal accident resulted in the wrongful death of the Lafayette woman, who was just two blocks away from her home at Broadmoor Boulevard and Robley Drive. A news release had stated that the woman was pronounced dead at the scene just after the motor vehicle crash.

It later turned out that the man who was booked, after receiving medical treatment in a local hospital, was also booked earlier for driving while intoxicated, or DWI, on three occasions. The reports stated that this newest arrest marked the fourth time that he has been booked on charges of drunk driving, but his third-offense DWI case has not gone to trial yet.

Now in this fatal accident case, the man has been charged with vehicular homicide as well as third-offense OWI, operating a vehicle with a suspended driving license and running a stop sign. On the vehicular homicide count, the man could get five to 30 years of jail time as well as a fine and since he has a prior DWI conviction record, he may have to serve the potential jail term without getting parole, suspension or probation for at least five years.

Under the legal provisions, a person convicted for a third-offense DWI may have to spend one to five years in jail along with paying a fine, while a conviction for a fourth-offense DWI could lead to a jail term of 10 to 30 years as well as a fine. Additionally, the victim’s family may seek punitive damages for wrongful death.

Source: TheAdvocate.com, “Lafayette man accused of driving drunk in Jan. 8 fatal accident,” Lanie Lee Cook, Feb. 6, 2015