Griffin Officers Injured in Car Crash

Spalding County Courthouse

Griffin, Ga. - Two officers have been flown to Atlanta Medical Center with serious injuries after their patrol car was struck by a vehicle.

According to reports, the driver of the vehicle ran a red light. No information regarding that driver or the potential charges have been released. However, as a Spalding DUI Lawyer, I will outline the law of one of the potential charges based on the manner in which the driver was driving - serious injury by vehicle.

Serious Injury by Vehicle in Georgia

The Georgia Code defines Serious Injury by Vehicle in Georgia 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.

This law does not define what constitutes a serious injury, so in these situations, we have to look to other sources within the Georgia Code. Other Georgia laws define it as a “fractured bone, severe burns, disfigurement, dismemberment, partial or total loss of sight or hearing, or loss of consciousness.”  To be considered serious, the injury does not need to be permanent. Instead, a serious, temporary injury is sufficient and only needs to impair or injure a person's appearance. 

In the past, injuries such as loss of vision in one eye, blurry vision, a two-inch scar on the forehead, broken ribs, and severe bruising have qualified as “serious.”  Whether an injury is serious is a question of fact to be determined by the jury.

Serious injury by vehicle is classified as a felony offense. The penalty if convicted of serious injury by vehicle can include high fines and up to fifteen years in prison.

Practice Note

If charged with a serious violation such as DUI in Georgia, call our offices today.