Fairfield Man Receives Vehicular Manslaughter Sentence
I’m Ed Smith, a Fairfield personal injury lawyer. On Wednesday, April 26, 2017, a 68-year-old male resident of Fairfield was sentenced to two weeks in jail and an additional 60 days of house arrest for causing the death of a father of two in a motor vehicle accident.
The defendant entered a no-contest plea last month to a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter.
The judge presiding over the case, Carlos R. Gutierrez, also ordered that the defendant pay a fine of $1000 dollars and carry out 30 hours of community service.
Accident Details
The convicted driver had been driving a 1997 Nissan Frontier in the afternoon on June 7, 2015. He had been driving southbound on Suisun Valley Road when he attempted to turn left onto Mankas Corner Road. In doing so, the driver of the Frontier cut off a 32-year-old man on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle who was driving north on Suisun Valley Road. Witnesses testified that the man on the motorcycle had attempted to swerve in order to avoid colliding with the truck, but crashed into it nevertheless. The motorcyclist died at the scene of the collision.
Tension in Court
Several of the deceased’s family members addressed those at the sentencing. Some of the family members called for more jail time for the errant driver. The prosecutor of the case urged Judge Gutierrez to sentence the defendant to six months of jail time. However, Gutierrez was less harsh on the elderly man and gave him 30 days with the opportunity to be released in 14 as credit for good behavior.
A Family Left in Distress
Members of the deceased’s family addressed the court and said that the loss of their loved one was not only a source of great emotional trauma, but would mean the end of the family business that the deceased has co-owned and operated in Green Valley. The deceased’s uncle mentioned that county officials had been hassling the business since the tragic event occurred.
Wrongful Death
The grief that losing a loved one brings is an immense, and often paralyzing, burden. Seeking legal help can seem far-off and unrelated to the difficult process of mourning. However, at-fault parties and insurance companies do not have to cope with the same distress and are often quick to get to work in order to mitigate their apparent responsibility for the accident. Because of this, it is important to have somebody to fight for you before they are able to cover up important evidence. Not only does having a lawyer help to prevent guilty parties from obscuring fault, but it can help you to forget about the legal aspect of incidents of wrongful death so that you and your loved ones can focus on your mental and emotional well-being.
Fairfield Wrongful Death & Personal Injury Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Fairfield personal injury lawyer. If an auto accident has left you or a family member with a serious or fatal injury, please call me at (707) 564-1900 to receive free and friendly advice. You can also call me toll-free at (800) 404-5400.
Families and individuals of Fairfield have trusted me to assist them in recovering fair recompense in their cases involving wrongful death and personal injury since 1982.
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