A 22-year-old man pleaded guilty to a variety of charges, including vehicular homicide, in a New Jersey courtroom on March 27. The charges stemmed from an accident in 2013 when the man, who was apparently drunk at the time, ran into a pedestrian on a road in Hudson County and killed them.
According to the police reports, the man was driving along Paterson Plank Road when his vehicle went over the curb and struck a 24-year-old man on May 11, 2013, at 3:30 a.m. After hitting the man and causing fatal injuries to him, the driver attempted to flee the scene of the accident in the car. He ran into several more cars as he tried to drive away, but he was stopped and detained by the Hoboken police after a short chase.
The man entered a guilty plea to the charges of leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident, vehicular homicide and aggravated assault by auto. He is also expected to plead guilty to related DWI charges during the sentencing phases as part of a plea deal worked out between him and the prosecution.
Those who have lost someone in their close family, such as a parent or a spouse, to a drunk driving accident may choose to pursue legal compensation from the intoxicated driver. At attorney may be able to help them file their case in civil court and hold the driver responsible. The outcome of the civil case does not depend on the outcome of any criminal proceedings against the defendant, and an innocent verdict in criminal court is not a guarantee that they will not be found liable in a civil court.
Source: The Jersey Journal, “Bronx man pleads guilty to killing Jersey City dad in 2013 crash,” Michaelangelo Conte, March 30, 2015
