Tampa DUI Manslaughter / Leaving the Scene of an Accident Attorney

Under Florida law, if the person convicted of DUI Manslaughter is also guilty of leaving the scene of the crash when he knew or should have known that the accident occurred, and failed to render aid or give information is guilty of a First Degree Felony punishable by up to thirty (30) years in Florida State Prison and a $10,000 fine.

In Tampa DUI cases for Manslaughter involving leaving the scene of the accident, certain defense are more likely to be available under Florida Law.

• Accident Report Privilege -Privilege provided by Florida Statute to information provided during the course of an accident or crash investigation, including DUI manslaughter cases after leaving the often leads to statements made after the accident being excluded at trial;
• Field Sobriety Exercises - When a driver is asked to perform field sobriety exercises after a car accident, the results are not accurate to the extend they are impacted by the driver being "shook up" or injured from the accident;
• Breath Test- if the air bags in the driver's vehicle were deployed during the accident many experts believe that this fact alone can cause the breath test machine to record a higher and inaccurate reading; and
• Wheel Witness - If you are charged with DUI manslaughter for leaving the scene of an accident under Florida law, the officer typically does not see the driver behind the wheel of the vehicle. Instead the officers have to rely on the defendant's statements, eyewitnesses, or circumstancial evidence. Without sufficient evidence to show that the person arrested was actually driving the vehicle, these cases are very difficult for the prosecutor to prove and could be subjec to a motion to suppress or motion to dismiss.

The experienced Tampa DUI lawyers at the Sammis Law Firm in Tampa, Florida, are available to answer your questions about DUI Manslaughter / Leaving the Scene.