A 21-year-old college graduate died after she was recently struck by a vehicle. The person allegedly responsible is a 33-year-old man who authorities claim struck the woman near to the University of Maryland on a recent Sunday morning. He is now faced with multiple DUI charges.
According to reports, the woman was in the midst of making her way across the street when the man allegedly crashed into her. After the incident, the man reportedly left the scene before officers apprehended him by a nearby intersection. Upon further investigation, authorities say they discovered that the man's blood-alcohol level was nearly double the legal limit. In addition, the force of the impact was strong enough to shatter the driver's side windshield.
Authorities arrested the man on a number of charges including driving under the influence and negligent homicide by vehicle. This is not the first time the man faced traffic-related offenses and back in 2007, he reportedly received a reckless driving charge. The deceased woman was a member of a sorority and a graduate of Salisbury University.
The family is grieving their loss of a woman who had a promising future ahead of her. In spite of the tragedy, the accused man is not considered automatically guilty of these DUI charges. Maryland prosecutors will need to prove that the man was intoxicated at the time of the crash and his action led to the death of the woman. The defendant has the right to inspect and challenge each and every piece of evidence prosecutor intend to use against him at trial. Alternatively, he could also choose to seek a plea deal if he feels that would result in the most positive outcome in his specific case.
Source: wbaltv.com, "Woman, 21, killed in College Park hit-and-run", Jeff Cousins, July 8, 2014
