Typically, when someone is driving and is hit by another driver, the man who is hit does not expect to be sued. However, when that driver was allegedly making a U-turn and the driver who hit him was a motorcycle rider who was then killed, he could be facing serious criminal charges.
The accident in question occurred in Atlanta at the intersection of Paces Mill Road and Cobb Parkway. The driver, who was in a red Mercedes, was allegedly attempting to make a U-turn on Paces Mill Road. While he was trying to make this turn, the motorcyclist ran into the car on the driver’s side and was thrown from his motorcycle. The motorcyclist was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Meanwhile, the Mercedes driver was also taken to the hospital with injuries, but they appear to be non-life threatening. It is also unclear at this time if the motorcyclist was wearing the proper protective gear and at what speed he was traveling.
When a defendant is facing allegations that include any form of homicide one wrong move can result in long-term consequences, such a criminal conviction that follows him around from the rest of his life, not to mention the potential for prison time and penalties. For that reason, a proper criminal defense needs to be put together as soon as possible, in order to prevent those consequences to the greatest extent possible.
Dealing with any type of allegations of a crime is often incredibly difficult for someone to face. As such, a defendant often needs to seek out the right information as quickly as possible.
Source: CBS Atlanta, “Charges expected in fatal weekend motorcycle accident,” Mary Gleason, June 24, 2013