Texas police filed criminal charges against a driver who they claim was intoxicated while behind the wheel of his motor vehicle. Still in police custody, he has been charged with intoxicated manslaughter for allegedly causing a fatal drunk driving accident. The man, however, claims that he was not the one driving at the time of the wreck.
The single-vehicle wreck drew police to the scene at around 4 a.m., where they found the vehicle rolled onto its roof. Inside the vehicle, they found both the 42-year-old man suspected of driving drunk and his female passenger. The 17-year-old teen was unconscious at the time and later pronounced dead at the site of the accident.
According to police, neither of the individuals in the pickup were wearing seatbelts. The surviving male claims that he was not driving because he had drunk a substantial amount of alcohol; he claims the teen had been behind the wheel. Investigators believe that the positions in which both people were found indicates that it might not have been possible for the teen to have been the driver.
The exact cause of the wreck is still not clear, although the final conclusion might not have any bearing on his charges. Still, drunk driving charges are serious enough by themselves, and the results of a conviction can impact a defendant in Texas for the rest of his or her life. Minimizing these impacts is usually a top priority, which can typically be achieved through careful and thorough attention to possible defense strategies in as timely a manner as possible.
Source: kxan.com, “17-year-old dies in crash, driver charged with intoxication manslaughter”, Claire Ricke, Aug. 22, 2016
