2019 Memorial Day Weekend Results in Nearly 400 Accidents on Georgia Roads

The Georgia Department of Public Safety monitors holiday weekends regarding traffic and criminal statistics to compare with years past.

This past Memorial Day weekend resulted in over double the amount of traffic-related deaths than 2018. Seventeen people were killed on Georgia roads. There were nearly 400 wrecks across the state of Georgia that resulted in 203 injuries and 17 deaths.

As a Georgia DUI Lawyer, I handle serious traffic cases frequently. Our firm handles all types of cases ranging from DUI in Georgia to Vehicular Homicide in Georgia.

In today's post, I will outline the law behind serious injury by vehicle in the state of Georgia as it typically goes hand in hand with charges of DUI.

Serious Injury by Vehicle in Georgia

Serious Injury by Vehicle in Georgia is defined by Georgia Law in O.C.G.A. §40-6-394 as:

Whoever, without malice, shall cause bodily harm to another by depriving him of a member of his body, by rendering a member of his body useless, by seriously disfiguring his body or a member thereof, or by causing organic brain damage which renders the body or any member thereof useless through the violation of Code Section 40-6-390 or 40-6-391 shall be guilty of the crime of serious injury by vehicle. A person convicted under this Code section shall be guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one year nor more than 15 years.

The two offenses that are outlined in the law above are DUI and Reckless Driving in Georgia. This means that if a serious injury results from either of these offenses, the accused driver is facing a felony as well as up to 15 years in prison.

Holiday weekends typically result in more visitors and tourists to Georgia - in particular the Metro Atlanta area. Traffic escalates, and that means that more accidents and more vehicular crimes occur.

Practice Note

A Serious Injury by Vehicle case is weighed heavily in the state of Georgia's favor.  In a typical DUI or Reckless Driving case where no injury has occurred, the law is still complicated and overwhelmingly strict. However, when an accident results in serious injuries or fatalities, there is even more “evidence” of less safe driving.

If you or a loved one has been arrested in Georgia, contact our offices today. A Georgia DUI Attorney can help explain all of the available options for your case. Not everyone who is arrested for a crime is guilty of committing a criminal offense or even that particular crime. We know that everyone should be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Call us now.