Personal Injury Law

Drunk Driving Teenage Driving Manslaughter

By Ben Glass

A teenager from Fairfax County pled guilty on April 21 to involuntary manslaughter after a 59-year-old woman from Leesburg died from the personal injuries she received in a drunken-driving crash with the girl.

Under the plea agreement, the charge of aggravated manslaughter was reduced by the state to involuntary manslaughter, which carries a lesser penalty. The 17-year-old girl also pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of drunken-driving.

According to the girl's attorney, the evidence the state had was strong, and the girl wished to accept full responsibility for the tragic accident.

As a first-time offender, the girl's sentence could range from probation to a term in a state juvenile facility, according to officials. The length of any sentence will be determined by the Department of Juvenile Justice. The Virginia juvenile courts have control over defendants until the age of 21.

On the night of September 20, the girl, whose name has not been released because she is a minor, had been drinking before her Ford Escape struck the van of Kathleen Becker, according to police. The girl's blood-alcohol level was 0.17, over twice the legal limit for adults, according to court records.

Full post as published by Northern Virginia Personal Injury Lawyer on May 09, 2008 (boomark / email).