Alabama Woman Charged with Manslaughter in DUI Head-On Collision

September 12, 2017
Written on behalf of Daniel H. Chambers Attorney at Law, P .C.

An Alabama woman has been charged with a DUI in a head-on crash that killed another woman who died at the scene. Before the accident occurred, police received a call about an erratic driver. The woman was indicated on a manslaughter charge.

Both the woman and a three-year-old child in the vehicle were hospitalized after the accident. Police reported that the woman was driving under the influence of one or more controlled substances. Alcohol wasn’t involved.

Police say that the driver crossed over the median on U.S. 78 at about 6:40 p.m. She was arrested and released on $30,000 bond.

The woman faces enhancements to a standard DUI sentence. There was a child under the age of 14 in the car at the time of the arrest. Because a death occurred, she faces prosecution for manslaughter. This is a reflection of Alabama’s “get tough” stance on DUI cases.

Under AL Code § 13A-6-4 (2014), an individual may be convicted of criminally negligent homicide if the driver/operator of a vehicle is in violation of § 32-5A-191, §32-5A-191.3. Under AL Code § 13A-6-3 (2014), if convicted of manslaughter, a Class B felony, she faces up to 20 years in prison plus a maximum fine of $30,000.

Although most people facing DUI charges aren’t charged with a vehicular homicide offense, DUI fines and sentences are tough, especially for people with jobs in Alabama.

If arrested for a first-time DUI offense in Alabama, the defendant faces up to 12 months in jail, a minimum $600 to maximum $2,100 fine, or both.

If a driver is arrested for a DUI with a blood alcohol level (BAC) of 0.15 or more, even on a first-time offense, he or she will face double penalties—and a required installation of an ignition interlock device. Thereafter:

• A second offense within five years entails a required five-day jail term plus maximum fines of $5,100 and a one-year revocation of the driver’s license. .
• A third DUI within five years involves a mandatory minimum 60 days in jail plus a $10,100 fine and a three-year driver’s license revocation.
• A fourth or more DUI within five years involves a mandatory minimum jail sentence and a $10,100 fine and a five-year driver’s license revocation.
• An installation of an ignition interlock device is required for second, third, fourth, or subsequent offenses within five years.

Contact Daniel H. Chambers, Attorney at Law, P.C., in Birmingham if you or someone you love has been charged with a DUI.