Teenager sentenced in fatal Florida accident

A 19-year-old Florida man will serve 12 years in prison for his involvement in a drunk driving car accident that left two people dead. The man was convicted on one count of DUI causing serious bodily injury and two counts of DUI manslaughter.

The man's license was permanently suspended, but Florida motorists are still regularly exposed to dangerous and negligent drivers. Individuals who have been hurt in a serious car accident may be able to seek monetary damages by filing a personal injury lawsuit. The families of individuals killed in such accident can likewise file wrongful death lawsuits.

Police say the accident occurred after the teenager began to drive four friends to their homes in his family's pickup truck. He had been drinking earlier in the night. Driving on a wet road at a high speed, the man then mistakenly turned onto a sidewalk. This caused the vehicle to spin out and slide off the road and knock down a number of fence posts before slamming into a tree. While the man and one passenger escaped, two other passengers were killed at the accident site. The fourth passenger was transported to the hospital to be treated for serious injuries.

Police say the man registered a blood alcohol content of 0.12, higher than Florida's legal limit of 0.08 percent. The man also reportedly had cannabis in his system at the time of the fatal crash.

In addition to jail time and license suspension, the man was also sentenced to two years probation and will be required to speak at schools about the consequences of drunk driving, as well as perform 100 hours of community service.

Source: Sun Sentinel, "Lake Worth teen sentenced to 12 years for double DUI manslaughter," Karla Bowsher, July 6, 2012