Fourteen Year Old in Critical Condition After DUI Crash

Fourteen-year-old Megan Lindsay from LaGrange is in critical condition at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston after being thrown from a car after it crashed early in the morning in Troup County, Georgia.

Megan's mother, Marsha Lindsay, 37, also of LaGrange was driving her Lexus ES330 when it crashed on a LaGrange road around 2 am.

Megan Lindsay was helicoptered to Egleston due to spinal injuries incurred in the wreck.

Her mother, Marsha, was taken to the Troup County Jail and booked for charges of DUI, Serious Injury By Vehicle, No Seatbelt, and Failure to Maintain Lane.  She is now out of jail on bond.  Georgia State Patrol is investigating the crash, and it is not known if Marsha Lindsay will face further charges if her daughter does not survive.  At a minimum, she would be facing Vehicular Homicide charges.

First if all, I can only imagine how this mother feels.  Aside from the obvious feelings of anguish and guilt, this mother is facing some serious charges that could get worse.

The two most serious charges are Serious Injury by Vehicle and DUI.  In Georgia, serious injury by vehicle is a charge that is levied due to causing another individual bodily harm while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  It is punishable by no less than one year and no more than fifteen years in prison.  The minimum license suspension is a hard suspension for three years, meaning no limited or restricted permit or early reinstatement is possible.

A first DUI conviction in Georgia can carry a minimum of $300 and a maximum penalty of $1000, and a 120-day license suspension.  Also, there could be ten days to twelve months imprisonment; a minimum of forty hours of community service and successfully completing DUI School.

It is good to remember that if Ms. Lindsay's daughter Megan had been UNDER the age of 14, Ms. Lindsay could also have been charged with DUI Child Endangerment.  Georgia law says that any child under the age of 14 in a vehicle when you are charged with DUI, places an additional DUI against the driver of the car.  This means that Ms. Lindsay could have been charged with TWO DUIs instead of one.  DUI Child Endangerment is a serious charge and is punished severely.

We send healing thoughts and prayers out to Megan Lindsay and her family during this difficult time, and hope she gets well soon!

DUI is never okay, and it is especially dangerous with young ones in the car.  If you have been charged with DUI or a DUI-related offense such as the ones mentioned above, contact the Law Offices of Richard Lawson today for skilled legal advice.