A 24-year-old Columbia, South Carolina man is charged with Felony DUI after a car accident that left one person dead. The man was taken from the hospital to the Lexington County Detention Center. The crash occurred around midnight on Meeting Street and Sunset Boulevard.
A felony DUI charged in South Carolina requires that the state prove that the defendant has (1) operated a vehicle under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or both; (2) did something else against the law, such as failed to maintain lane or acted negligently; and (3) proximately causes great bodily injury or death to a person other than himself, including passengers, pedestrians, and other motorists.
Great bodily injury for the purpose of felony DUI is an injury that “creates a substantial risk of death or which causes serious, permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.” Further, pursuant to the statute, if someone dies of complications within 3 years of a “great bodily injury,” that death would meet the proximate cause standard.
Therefore, if you or a loved one is facing a felony DUI charged based on death or great bodily injury, it is important to know how to approach your case. At the law offices of Reeves, Aiken & Hightower, LLP, our attorneys have over 70 years of experience in dealing with people’s legal problems, and understand the DUI process. Call our Baxter Village office, located in Fort Mill, South Carolina at 803-548-4444, or toll-free at 877-374-5999.