A toddler was killed in a suspected DUI crash in Coweta County on Saturday night. The accident occurred on State Road 41, just south of Moreland, when officers say a driver crossed the center line and sideswiped one vehicle before plowing head-on into the vehicle driven by the toddler’s mother. The child died at the scene from her injuries. Her mother was critically injured and transported by air to a hospital in Atlanta. The mother’s boyfriend, who was a passenger in her car, suffered minor injuries.
The 30-year-old driver of the vehicle that crossed the center line was arrested on the scene. He has been charged with vehicular homicide, DUI-less safe, having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle, serious injury by a motor vehicle, and failure to maintain his lane of travel. DUI-less safe is a charge that can be levied against a driver that allows them to be convicted of DUI even if their blood alcohol content was less than the legal impairment limit of .8 grams of alcohol per deciliter of blood. This charge is also commonly given if the driver suspected of DUI refuses to submit to a breath, blood, or urine test for alcohol impairment. The statute that provides for this charge states that a person should not drive or be in actual physical control of a moving vehicle while under the influence of alcohol to the extent that it is less safe for the person to drive.
If you have been injured or have lost a loved one as a result of a car accident caused by a driver who was impaired by alcohol, Georgia allows you to use its civil court system to seek compensation from the at-fault party’s insurance provider for the expenses and impacts of your injury or loss. An experienced Atlanta car accident attorney from Cambre & Associates can help you understand this process. For a free case evaluation, contact us online or by calling 770-502-6116.
