About 11:30 p.m. on the night of Oct. 12, a collision between an SUV and a motorcycle sent the 18-year-old motorcycle rider to the hospital. The next day, the teenager succumbed to his injuries and died. Felony charges have been filed against the Ohio man driving the SUV.
The driver of the SUV was turning left off of eastbound SR 303 when the motorcycle ran into the side of the man’s SUV. The driver of the SUV immediately stopped his vehicle and called 911. He did not leave the scene.
It has been alleged that the SUV driver turned into the path of the motorcycle, and the motorcycle rider presumably had no time to avoid colliding with the turning SUV. It is not known whether there were any eyewitnesses to the crash. Ohio authorities gave the SUV driver a field sobriety test, which they say he failed.
The driver refused to take a breath test. He has been charged with aggravated homicide by vehicle and driving a vehicle while under the influence. There was no report as to why authorities at the scene believed the man was somehow impaired or whether the driver was injured in the crash.
As the driver prepares his criminal defense to the felony charges, he will need to carefully review all of the evidence gathered from the scene. For example, the arresting officer’s reports, video footage — if any — of the field sobriety test and his arrest, the officer’s qualifications to administer any testing and other information regarding the accident. If the driver’s rights were violated at any point that night, an application to have the charges dismissed or reduced may be appropriate.
Source: fox8.com, Officials: 18-Year-Old Killed in Accident With Accused Drunk Driver, Kara Sutyak, Oct. 14, 2013