Georgia Driver Charged with DUI And Child Endangerment After Fatal Three Car Accident

Hall County reported a terrible three-vehicle accident that resulted in the death of one woman and the hospitalization of two other adults and an infant. According to reports, after a failure to yield, driver, Angela Riseden, hit another vehicle driven by Brittany Dade. Dade hit the side of Riseden's car and forced her off of the road. Dade's vehicle then hit a third car. 

Riseden died at the scene, Dade and the third driver were taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, and the infant was taken to Scottish Rite.

The Georgia State Patrol has reported that Dade is facing charges of DUI and Child Endangerment in Georgia. As a Georgia DUI Lawyer, I will outline the offense of child endangerment in today's post. 

Child Endangerment in Georgia

DUI Child Endangerment in Georgia is a very serious offense, and is defined in O.C.G.A. §40-6-3. The Georgia Code has a separate provision for the endangerment of a child if someone is charged with DUI while a child is present in the vehicle. The law states that for each child in the vehicle with an alleged DUI driver, there will be an additional DUI charge. 

This means that you will face multiple DUIs for one technical instance of DUI in Georgia. However, in order to be convicted, the State of Georgia must find the accused person guilty of the underlying and original DUI charge before finding that he or she endangered a child.

Multiple DUI convictions can lead to harsher Georgia DUI Penalties. For example, a fourth DUI in Georgia is classified as a felony in Georgia. This means that the accused driver will not only be a convicted felon but will also face years of driver's license suspension and prison time and lose his or her rights to drive on Georgia roads.

Practice Note

It should also be noted that if further investigations show that Riseden's death was caused by Dade's driving, then Dade could also be facing a charge of vehicular homicide in Georgia. These types of vehicle accidents are devastating especially when there has been death and serious injury. 

If you or a loved one is facing a serious traffic violation such as DUI in Georgia, contact a Georgia DUI Lawyer today.