Marietta, Ga. - A driver is facing life-threatening injuries after a multi-vehicle wreck off of Interstate 75 in Cobb County.
According to authorities, the injured driver was stopped on the interstate for an unknown reason. This led to multiple cars hitting his vehicle. The impact caused some of the cars to leave the road.
If the investigation results in charges of Reckless Driving in Georgia or DUI in Georgia for one of the drivers, they could also face charges directly relating them to causing the accident. This could make them responsible for the injuries sustained by the victim.
In today's post, I will outline the law behind one of the possible offenses resulting from the story above.
Serious Injury by Vehicle in Georgia
Serious Injury by Vehicle in Georgia is defined in the Georgia Code 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 up to 15 years in prison.
Practice Note
It is important for me to note that a driver can be charged with multiple counts of the crime of serious injury by vehicle. The charges do not merge.
Contact our offices today if you have been arrested.
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