Sep 23, 2013 | Car Accidents, Criminal Defense, DUI & DWI, Uncategorized
A man from South Carolina was arrested earlier this week after he wrecked his SUV and then ran from the local police.
Apparently, prior to the crashing of the SUV, the man was involving in a hit-and-run, which is what initiated the original police chase down in West Ashley.
The hit-and-run occurred at the corner of the Savannah Highway and Stocker Drive, just a little before 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night. By the time to police arrives at the hit-and-run site, the victim told the police that the man had been just been sitting at the light just seconds prior to the accident, when he was rear-ended by a Yukon SUV, pushing him out into the intersection.
The man driving the Yukon then darted from the scene and continued northbound down the Savannah highway as though nothing had happened.
There was another eye witness account that called the incident into the police, and told the local authorities that the Yukon driver was now at the corner of Lockwood and Wentworth Street. When the defendant saw the officers, he attempted to avoid the blue light by turning onto Barre Street off of Wentworth.
Officers then combined forces and went down different streets trying to cut off the evasive defendant. They finally ended their chase when the SUV rammed into another vehicle, rendering the Yukon inoperable.
The 50-year-old Mt. Pleasant resident then jumped out of his SUV and began to flee on foot. he was shortly after caught by the police hiding behind some bushes in a backyard of a resident’s home on Gadsden Street.
The defendant, once apprehended, admitted to be under the influence of alcohol. He was released from the Charleston County Detention Center on a $13,495 bond.
He is being charged for the following offenses: “failure to stop for blue lights, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident involving minor injury, and cited for driving too fast for conditions.”
So what does it mean to be involved in a hit-and-run accident in South Carolina?
According to South Carolina General Statute, Section 56-5-1210(A), a driver of a vehicle that is involved in an accident, that ultimately results in an injury or death of a person is mandatorily required to stop their vehicle at the scene of the accident, or as close to it as possible. S. C. Gen. Stat., Section 56-5-1210(A),(2012).
After the driver’s return, he is required to remain at the scene of the accident until he has fulfilled the requirements listed under the S.C. Gen. Stat. Section 56-5-1230. Id.
Section 56-5-1230 states in part, that the defendant may leave the scene of the crime, BUT only for a limited amount of time to report the accident. He is furthermore required to pull his vehicle out of the way of oncoming traffic, if possible, to prevent obstructing other drivers. S.C. Gen. Stat. Section 56-5-1230
A driver who fails to stop or to comply with the requirements of the aforementioned section is guilty of a hit-and-run, and punishable by:
“(1) a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not less than thirty days nor more than one year or fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five thousand dollars, or both, when injury results but great bodily injury or death does not result;
(2) a felony and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not less than thirty days nor more than ten years and fined not less than five thousand dollars nor more than ten thousand dollars when great bodily injury results; or
(3) a felony and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned not less than one year nor more than twenty-five years and fined not less than ten thousand dollars nor more than twenty-five thousand dollars when death results.” Id.
If you have been charged for a DUI, or any of the aforementioned crimes listed above, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower, LLP toll-free at 877-374-5999.
Sep 19, 2013 | Car Accidents, Criminal Defense, Felony DUI, Uncategorized
Earlier this year in March, a 30-year-old man from South Carolina was driving down Interstate-26 with a female passenger, aged 29, and her two minor children.
The mother has three children, but only the three-year-old and the one-year-old were in the car at the time of the accident.
Apparently, the man was driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the car accident. It was unclear how he flipped the car over, but the investigation can tell by the skid marks that it appears as though he was attempting to avoid hitting another vehicle, and turned his car too far to the left, flipped the vehicle over on its side.
The woman and both of the minor children were rushed to the hospital for immediate treatment. The woman was sadly pronounced dead shortly after arrival. It is clear according to the County Coroner that the woman did in fact die from injuries sustained from the car accident.
The defendant was taken to the Al Cannon Detention Center, where is he being held until his bond of $94,665 is met.
Summarily, the man is now being charged heftily for this fatal accident: specifically, “two counts of child endangerment and a felony charge of driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death and great bodily injury.”
What is a Felony DUI in South Carolina?
According to South Carolina’s General Statute §56-5-2945, a person will be charged with a Felony DUI when the accident results in great bodily harm or death.
Great bodily injury exists when a person who, while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or the combination thereof, operates a vehicle and when driving the vehicle does in fact cause great bodily injury to the victim. That defendant is then guilty of a felony, and upon conviction must be punished with a mandatory fine of not less than $5,100 nor more than $10,100 in conjunction with mandatory imprisonment for not less than 30 days, and nor more than 15 years. S.C. Gen. Stat. §56-5-2945(2010)
Moreover, when a death results from a person who, while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, does in fact cause great bodily injury that results in death, shall be considered guilty of a felony, and upon conviction must pay a mandatory fine of not less than $10,100 nor more than $25,100 and mandatory imprisonment for not less than 1 year nor more than 25 years. S.C. Gen. Stat. §56-5-2945( 2010)
If a person is in fact charged with a Felony DUI resulting from death, then the mandatory sentences described above may not be suspended, and no probation shall be granted for the defendant. S.C. Gen. Stat. §56-5-2945(2010)
If you or a loved one has been charged with DUI or Felony DUI in South Carolina, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower, LLP, at 877-374-5999, for more information on your options.
Sep 18, 2013 | Car Accidents, Criminal Defense, DUI & DWI, Uncategorized
A man from the South Carolina area passed away Saturday night after a terrible accident where his truck caught a flame.
According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the accident occurred a little before 7:30 p.m., when the man was travelling southbound on Fin Place.
Apparently, the driver was driving his 2010 Chevy Pickup truck with a passenger in the car, when he veered off the road and struck a transformer box. Somehow a spark was ignited, and the pickup caught fire.
There were two young people inside the vehicle at the time. A 21-year-old, who was driving the vehicle was from Columbia, and the 20-year -old victim who was from the Charleston Area.
The young man from South Carolina lost his life, and died from injuries sustained in the crash.
The driver of the Chevy was hospitalized, but is currently in stable condition.
The South Carolina Troopers state the crash is still under investigation. At this point, they do not know if alcohol was a factor or not in the accident.
If you or someone you know has been involved in a serious car accident, or charged with reckless driving, in the North Charleston Area, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower, LLP toll-free at 877-374-5999 and talk to us about your situation.
Sep 17, 2013 | Car Accidents, Criminal Defense, DUI & DWI, Uncategorized
According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, an investigation of a deadly crash Saturday night is currently underway.
The SC Troopers say that the accident involved three vehicles, and most likely alcohol.
The serious car accident occurred on U.S. Highway 17-A , around 9:10 p.m. on Clubhouse Road.
Apparently, there was an intoxicated driver travelling the highway in his 2003 Ford, when he did an illegal u-turn in the middle of the thoroughfare. The reports state that the Ford and a second vehicle were both travelling northbound side by side at the time, with the Ford being in the middle lane.
The driver of the second vehicle, a sedan of some sort, was in the far right lane, closet to the median, when the Ford slammed the second car into on-coming traffic while making the u-turn. The second car was then pushed right in front of an oncoming 2005 Isuzu truck on the opposite side of the road.
The driver of the sedan ( the second vehicle) was entrapped in his vehicle and sadly was pronounced dead at the scene when the medics arrived.
The drivers of both the Ford and of The Isuzu were both taken to the closet hospital, and are currently being treated for their injuries.
The accident, as stated above, is still under investigation, yet alcohol and the illegal u-turn were certainly the leading factors in the crash.
If you have been involved be a serious car accident, or received a DUI due to an accident, contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower, LLP toll-free at 877-374-5999 for more information on your case.
Sep 17, 2013 | Car Accidents, Personal Injury, Uncategorized, Wrongful Death
The Charleston Police Department is still under investigating an incident as to how an SUV found its way off of Johns Island Creek Road, into Penny Creek, killing three people.
The SUV had a 50-year-old male, a 38-year-old female, and the 35-year-old female owner of the SUV. The police do not know how or why the car crashed into the Creek, but they are assuming that alcohol or a substance of some sort may have had a role.
Troopers were alerted to the scene when the police received a call by a fisherman saying he felt his “line snagon something heavy that he thought maybe a car.” According to family members, the trio of best friends had left from a local marina that morning and had been missing until the police called.
There are still not enough details to conclusively determine what the cause of the accident was.
Even the owner’s dog was found in the back seat and sadly, also drowned in the accident.
A memorial for the three was set up at the site today, in honor of their friends found last night. They are all still confused and deeply saddened.
Losing a love one is a terrible tragedy to handle. Furthermore, it is not one that should be handled alone. Contact the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower, LLP toll-free at 877-377-5999 and speak to one of our experienced DUI or personal injury attorneys today.
Sep 16, 2013 | Car Accidents, Criminal Defense, DUI & DWI, Uncategorized
The Mt. Pleasant Police Department has just arrested and charged a woman with a DUI,
after she lost control of her SUV and drove it straight into Shem Creek Bridge. The result was knocking about 30 feet of concrete and railing from the bridge into the creek. She is lucky that only her vehicle was damaged.
The police got wind of the accident just moments after it happened, a little before 2:00 a.m. on Friday night. They went to the scene of the crime, and the woman’s SUV was on the sidewalk portion of the bridge, flipped around facing the southbound direction. The SUV was literally teetering from falling completely into Shem Creek.
The police report stated that the driver had slammed her SUV into a palm tree in the center of the median before veering back into the road and then into the railings of the bridge.
The driver was a 20-year-old female who reported to the police that she “lost control of her vehicle after she hit a curb.” It was the police who could smell that the underage girl had been drinking, and asked her to step out of the vehicle for a round of Field Sobriety Tests, where she failed to recite her ABCs properly.
She told the police that she had only had one beer, and then refused to take the breathalyzer test. Thus, she was taken to the Charleston County Detention Center where her BAC level was found to be higher than the legal limit.
She was later released on a bond a little under $1,000.
If you have been charged with a DUI in Mount Pleasant, contact the experienced DUI attorneys at Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower, LLP for assistance with your case toll free at 877-374-5999 or locally at 843-901-0380.
