Serious Injuries Reported After Marietta Wreck on I-75

Marietta Courthouse

Marietta, Ga. – According to reports out of Marietta, three people were seriously injured in a four-vehicle collision that happened on Interstate 75 on Monday evening.

The collision shut down the interstate for over two hours causing severe delays. The chain-reaction wreck occurred when a sprinter van struck the back of a sedan. This caused the first vehicle to hit the median wall.

Investigators are still searching for more details and investigating the incident. They have asked any witnesses to come forward with information.

As a Georgia DUI Attorney, I will focus today's post on the offense of serious injury by vehicle as it is a potential charge here in this case.

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

As you can see from the law above, serious injury by vehicle charges are often associated with charges for DUI in Georgia. If you or a loved one has been arrested for DUI, call our offices now.