Los Angeles Vehicular Manslaughter Lawyer

Are you facing a vehicular manslaughter charge in California? Get in touch with a California vehicular manslaughter attorney who will work hard on your case.

Vehicular manslaughter is a serious charge because it is a violent crime that results in the death of a person. Even if it’s unintentional, you could be charged with vehicular manslaughter and face time behind bars and other penalties.

With the right defense on your side, however, you can fight these charges and get them reduced or dropped altogether. Here’s some more information.

“I felt like I was in nightmare. Chris literally saved my life.” – Jesus L.

What Is Vehicular Manslaughter?

Vehicular manslaughter occurs when someone drives recklessly or in a negligent manner and causes the death of someone else. You may unintentionally cause the death of another driver, a passenger in your car, or a pedestrian. This crime is also called vehicular homicide.

Negligence would include being under the influence or alcohol and/or drugs when the death occurred. Reckless driving would include speeding, not paying attention to stop signs, running red lights, and breaking the rules of the road in other ways.

Proving You Committed Vehicular Manslaughter

To prove you are guilty of vehicular manslaughter, the prosecutor needs to show that you committed an infraction or misdemeanor or what would have been a lawful act while you were behind the wheel that was dangerous to human life, and you acted with ordinary or gross negligence and this resulted in the death of another person.

The prosecution may look at available footage of the crash, the damage done to your vehicle (and the other person’s, if they were driving), witness statements, and police records to prove their case. They might also bring in evidence that you were intoxicated, such as breathalyzer results or results from other drug testing conducted after your arrest.

“From the moment I met Chris, I knew I was in good hands.” – Kevin H.

Penalties for Vehicular Manslaughter

You could be charged with a misdemeanor or a felony since this is what’s called a wobbler offense. It depends on whether you acted in gross negligence or ordinary negligence.

If you’re charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, then you could spend up to one year in county jail. But if you’re charged with felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, then you could spend up to six years in state prison. If you committed ordinary negligence, you could be charged with a misdemeanor and spend up to one year in county jail.

Defending Yourself Against a Vehicular Manslaughter Charge

To defend yourself against these charges, you could argue that you did not act out of negligence. You could also say that you were driving erratically because you had to respond to an emergency situation, and you were acting like a reasonable person would in that situation. For example, perhaps you had to get to the hospital right away because you were faced with life or death circumstances.

Another defense is that there is not sufficient evidence to convict you. Also, if you took a breathalyzer test, that could be inaccurate. For instance, maybe when you got behind the wheel of your car, you were under the legal limit, but due to rising blood alcohol levels, you were over the legal limit once you started driving. The technician may have also not interpreted your test correctly, or perhaps it was administered wrong. Maybe it only seemed like you had high blood alcohol content levels, but you simply have GERD and that caused a faulty breathalyzer test result.

Contact California Vehicular Manslaughter Attorney CBS Law

If you have been charged with vehicular manslaughter in California, it’s time to get in touch with an attorney who will work hard on your case. Then, you will have the best chance possible of getting a plea deal or taking your case to court and getting your charges reduced or dropped.

Then contact us for your free 60-minute consultation by calling (213) 800-8005 or getting in touch on our website. CBS Law is here for you 24/7, and we’ll work hard on your case to ensure justice is served. We are looking forward to helping you with your vehicular manslaughter charges in California.

“Do NOT speak to law enforcement or investigators about your vehicular manslaughter charges, as that information can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

Christopher J. Bou Saeed Founding Attorney of CBS Law