A 20-year-old Philadelphia woman has been sentenced to one to five years of prison after striking and killing a high school student over a year ago.
The woman pleaded guilty in January to a felony charge of accidents involving death or personal injury in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. Because it is a felony, the charge has a minimum mandatory sentence of a year in prison.
The convicted woman will serve her sentence in Montgomery County Prison and is eligible for the Work Release program. She has also pledged to pay $500 to the slain girl’s scholarship fund, though it is not legally binding.
According to the woman, she was driving at around 11:30 p.m. on March 28, 2010, when the 17-year-old girl walked out in front of her car. The girl was hit and sustained fatal injuries. Panicked, the woman kept driving, until she was stopped less than three miles away. She admitted her guilt, authorities indicated to NYC Criminal Lawyers.
The District Attorney said the woman would not have even been charged with a crime if she had not left the accident scene. The investigation showed the girl stepped out in front of the car and the driver was not the cause for the accident.
The girl and other students had been drinking to celebrate a school victory in the basketball championships. NYC Criminal Lawyers found that the victim’s blood alcohol level was well below the legal limit. A friend of the girl had apparently taken vodka from her parent’s house, and poured the liquor into water bottles for the other teenagers.
The father of the victim said his daughter had just had an argument with her boyfriend. She “stormed out” of the house and the boyfriend followed the girl in his car, only to see her get run over.
When the father learned of his daughter’s death, he was in Florida.
“Going positive is a fight, but it’s the only way to go,” he told NYC Criminal Lawyers. “She was the kind of kid when she walked in the room, she put a smile on your face.”
The parents established funds in their daughter’s name to help other students.
Some cases are easy to resolve, but most require someone with ample knowledge of the law to help the accused – someone like a NYC Criminal Lawyer. You will need proper representation when your day in court comes, which means you will need a NYC Criminal Lawyer.
Stephen Bilkis and Associates can provide you with support and guidance when you contact us at 1-800-NY-NY-LAW. We have offices in NY City, including Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and The Bronx and in Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County. Contact a New York Criminal Attorney now and find out what your rights are in regards to DUI related penalties. A New York Criminal Attorney will help you succeed.