The student had attended classes at a nearby state university and was headed home. Police investigation reports say she was not only excessively speeding at 78 mph, 33 mph over the speed limit, but she was passing cars in areas where there were double yellow lines. On one passing attempt, she pulled into the southbound lane and collided head-on with a woman headed to pick up one of her grandchildren. She succumbed to her severe injuries nine days after the accident.
In court, the student entered a guilty plea to the numerous charges against her, which included homicide by vehicle and speeding. Police also recorded they had found marijuana in her vehicle after the crash. She was sentenced to a jail term of 15 years along with 2,000 community service hours and a $1,000 fine.
The life of this young college student will forever be marred by the reckless actions she chose to take that day. The lives of the grandmother’s family have also been changed, but not by their choice. Others who have been through a similar loss have chosen to file a wrongful death lawsuit, not just as a way of recouping some of their financial loss but to hold the one responsible for the death accountable for his or her actions. A Georgia attorney who has experience helping families through this process after a car accident will be able to formulate a plan for legal recourse.
