Maryland Law Blog

Recently, two drug suspects allegedly caused an accident that led to the death of an 86-year-old man after they reportedly fled police officers who were attempting to stop their vehicle for questioning. According to a Baltimore Sun report, officers in plain clothes approached a black Acura based on a suspicion of drug activity after seeing a man whom they believe conducted a drug transaction. Allegedly, the suspects were in the vehicle.

When the police officers attempted to box in the Acura, the suspects allegedly sped away from the scene. The officers hurried to their vehicles and an immediate pursuit followed.

The police believe the Acura eventually crashed into the elderly couple’s vehicle and later crashed into a fire hydrant. The impact of the collision caused the vehicle of the elderly couple to collide into the home of a nearby resident. The 86-year-old man was taken to the hospital where he later died. He was the father of a city patrol officer. The police declined to release the patrol officer’s name. The elderly woman who accompanied the elderly man was listed in serious condition.

Police stated that they found 35 grams of raw heroin in the vehicle of two suspects who were also charged with MD vehicular homicide. Court records indicate that one suspect had three prior drug convictions and two prior handgun violations that were dropped.

If you have been charged with a serious crime, you need attorneys who can assist you when you may be facing harsh legal consequences. The Maryland defense attorneys of Meng & Alpert, LLC have solid reputations for providing their clients with aggressive and effective defense services. Our lawyers have decades of experience in criminal defense cases including but not limited to DUI, assault, drug offenses, sex crimes and vehicular manslaughter.

The attorneys at our firm provide free legal consultations to potential clients. Call Meng & Alpert, LLC today at 1-866-4446363 for your free evaluation of your case.

According to a recent lohud.com article, a 24-year-old former all-star basketball athlete has been sentenced to one to three years in a state prison for causing a drunken driving accident in New York that killed her friend, Lisa Marie Mornay. Meghan Wood, a 24-year-old former basketball player and leading scorer her senior year at Loyola College in Maryland, was sentenced on November 4, 2009.

The New York State Judge handling the case could have sentenced Wood to five years "shock" probation in which she would serve the first six months in jail but he wanted his sentence to be a deterrent to others who would drive drunk. At her sentencing, Supreme Court Justice Lester Adler chastised Wood saying, “You endangered every single person on the road that morning. I can’t forget that; I can’t put that out of my mind.”

According to the article, Wood would have faced up to fifteen years in prison if she had been convicted at trial. Instead, Wood began serving her sentence at the Westchester County jail in Valhalla on August 3, 2009 after pleading guilty to the full indictment against her, which included a felony charge of vehicular manslaughter and misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated. She is now scheduled to be transported to a state prison where she may be eligible for parole in nine months.

Continue reading "Fatal DWI Crash Leads to Sentence of 1-3 Years in State Prison" »

A recent article about a man who may be charged for fleeing the scene of an auto accident that killed a pedestrian in Anne Arundel County raises many questions regarding the legal penalties surrounding vehicular manslaughter, especially when such an act takes place in a hit-and-run situation and/or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In this particular incident, police have said that prescription drug use may have been a contributing factor that led the 26-year old driver to lose control of his Dodge Caravan, strike a woman that had been standing on a nearby sidewalk and drive away from the scene. The suspected vehicle driven during the accident has been found by law enforcement officers.

Although the article didn’t specify the exact charges being brought against the driver in this incident, it can be speculated, based on the circumstances surrounding this case, that the driver may be charged with vehicular manslaughter and operating a vehicle in a grossly negligent manner. The penalties for these charges can include significant prison time and hefty fines. If it is determined that the driver was operating his vehicle under the influence of drugs, additional prison time could be added. These charges could all be on top of other criminal charges or traffic violations associated with a particular incident, such as driving with a suspended license. Being suspected of leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death may also contribute to an increase in punishment.

Many prescription medications warn against operating a motor vehicle while under the medication’s effects due to a high possible onset of drowsiness or other risks of side effects that could impair a person’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. Although prescription drugs are legal, they can still create hazards similar to those of a driver who is on the road while under the influence of an illegal substance or alcohol. Even though it has not been released at this time which prescription drug the driver in the above case is suspected of being under the influence of, many of these drugs can affect a driver’s reaction time, coordination, attention, and many other requirements for operating a vehicle safely.

Continue reading "Vehicular Homicide and the Consequences of a Hit-and-Run Accident" »